A group of South Korean researchers has developed a way to commercially utilize carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, that may also offer a new approach to dealing with climate change, the government said Wednesday.

The team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has successfully produced carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of carbon dioxide and water to bicarbonate and protons that, in turn, could produce substances widely used in industrial products, including plastic, rubber, paint and artificial bones, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

The research was part of a government-funded project to develop ways to capture and store carbon dioxide.

The chemically produced carbonic anhydrase may allow commercial use of carbon dioxide captured from the air, the ministry said.

Previously, most carbonic anhydrases were available only from cow serum, making them too expensive -- at about 3 million won ($2,664) for 1 gram -- for commercial use.

“The new carbonic anhydrase developed this time can effectively replace conventional anhydrases, and also be used to help reduce carbon dioxide,” the ministry said.

(Yonhap News)