BEIJING - Chinese researchers have developed a new method to turn carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, into clean liquid fuel such as methanol.

The breakthrough might help mitigate the greenhouse effect caused by carbon emissions, and promote the development of new clean energies.

A research team led by Professor Zeng Jie, at the University of Science and Technology of China, developed a new catalyzer with platinum as the raw material. The catalyzer can effectively convert carbon dioxide into methanol, which is also a basic raw material of the chemical industry.

The study was published in the academic journal, Nature Nanotechnology.