British Engineers Create Petrol From Air And Water

[Gee]

the end of Hybrid is nigh as well?

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Updated 09:50 AM Oct 21, 2012

 

LONDON - A small British company has developed a way to create petrol from air and water, technology it hopes may one day contribute to large-scale production of green fuels.

 

Engineers at Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS) in Teeside, northern England, say they have produced 5 litres of synthetic petrol over a period of three months.

 

The technique involves extracting carbon dioxide from air and hydrogen from water, and combining them in a reactor with a catalyst to make methanol. The methanol is then converted into petrol.

 

By using renewable energy to power the process, it is possible to create carbon-neutral fuel that can be used in an identical way to standard petrol, scientists behind the technology say.

 

"It's actually cleaner because it's synthetic," Mr Peter Harrison, chief executive officer of AFS, said in an interview.

 

"You just make what you need to make in terms of the contents of it, so it doesn't contain what might be seen as pollutants, like sulphur," he said.

 

The work is part of a two-year project that has so far cost around

[Watwheels]

I think they use more power on the overall process to produce that small amount of petrol.

[Gee]

I think they use more power on the overall process to produce that small amount of petrol.

 

 

that's why..

they're looking to utilize renewable energy source to make cost justifiable.

solar, most likely imho

[Lala81]

that's why..

they're looking to utilize renewable energy source to make cost justifiable.

solar, most likely imho

 

very round about way just to get an engine to operate.

A much more efficient method would just be converting the renewable energy and giving it to an electric motor to drive the car

 

[Wt_know]

the cheapest way is to mine

take what is there and sell ...

Edited October 22, 2012 by Wt_know

[Gee]

very round about way just to get an engine to operate.

A much more efficient method would just be converting the renewable energy and giving it to an electric motor to drive the car

 

maybe..

but so far very limited in terms of power storage or the conversion process itself.

if not wrong, for solar power, the efficiency of conversion is not goodd enough therefore

many cells are needed to produce energy that still no way near fuel in liquid form (yet).

So either can't carry much load or need to be stored first (added weight issue and so on).

anyway never say never, it could well be possible in future.

 

[Toapayohkid]

I think they use more power on the overall process to produce that small amount of petrol.

 

lol wah don't pour water on their project lah. starting always like that more expensive and not cost-effective

[Shull]

I don't think the oil companies will be keeping quiet about this..

[Gee]

I don't think the oil companies will be keeping quiet about this..

 

they will enjoy it while it lasts..

and probably will switch to green energy of their own once the resource showing signs of depletion.

on another note, Audi has started their own.

Setting up big plant for it as well iirc.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/08/audi-wo...carbon-neutral/

 

[Subutai]

I don't think the oil companies will be keeping quiet about this..

 

Most probably they will rush to take over this innovation and brand it as theirs the cartel's way.

[Happily1986]

I think they use more power on the overall process to produce that small amount of petrol.

 

thank god we don't have a lot of your kind, NATO sceptics in the academic world.

[Gee]

taking about optimism,

hope we all see the good point here:

By using renewable energy to power the process (to keep cost to minimum), it is possible to create carbon-neutral fuel (v low CO2 emission) that can be used in an identical way to standard petrol (can keep current petrol engine design), scientists behind the technology say.

[Kangadrool]

Better to just concentrate on harnessing energy from wind, sun, water, and our own poos.

[Happily1986]

Better to just concentrate on harnessing energy from wind, sun, water, and our own poos.

 

Yes but are you going to abandon 200 years worth of research and design refinement of the thermal engine? If we can harness renewable energy and somehow still get to use thermal combustion engines, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? The vast majority of the world's automobile assembly lines are also tooled to produce cars with internal combustion engines.

[Shull]

I read from an article somewhere, just 40mins worth of solar energy falling onto earth is enough to power the daily energy consumption..

 

Now the problem is harnessing it..

[Ben5266]

Yes but are you going to abandon 200 years worth of research and design refinement of the thermal engine? If we can harness renewable energy and somehow still get to use thermal combustion engines, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? The vast majority of the world's automobile assembly lines are also tooled to produce cars with internal combustion engines.

But for 200 years.. we are still stuck with 2 types of engine... wonder when we will get the 3rd engine with better energy conversion ratio.

[Ben5266]

I read from an article somewhere, just 40mins worth of solar energy falling onto earth is enough to power the daily energy consumption..

 

Now the problem is harnessing it..

Imagine... if we absorbed too much of the solar energy... will the world have longer winter???

[Happily1986]

But for 200 years.. we are still stuck with 2 types of engine... wonder when we will get the 3rd engine with better energy conversion ratio.

 

My point is, ok say for instance you mastered the art of capturing energy from those renewable energy sources. How are we going to harness these energy in locomotion then? Evidently we are going to have some newfangled means of converting these energy into mechanical energy. I am thinking more of system that can harness and convert on the fly. Of course if we stick to the electric car route then things will be far more straightforward.