New Technology Creates Petroleum from Air

A small firm of engineers from the North of England have developed a revolutionary new technology that could change the entire energy world; their technology produces petrol from air.

The method is as follows:

Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and then mixing it with sodium hydroxide. The resulting sodium carbonate solution is then electrolysed to produce pure carbon dioxide. In a spate process, water vapour collected from the air in a dehumidifier. The CO2 and hydrogen are then combined to form methane, which is passed through a gasoline fuel reactor to create petroleum.

The fuel that is produced is compatible with any type of regular petrol tank and if the electricity used for the electrolysis is generated from renewable sources, then all aspects of the process could be carbon neutral.

Related Article: Investing in East African Oil and Gas: Going for the (Fragile) Golden Egg

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has stated that the technology appears "too good to be true, but it is true," and that it has the potential to become a"game-changer".

So far the company has only produced 5 litres of the fuel from a tiny refining plant in the past 3 months, however they have plans to build a much larger plant within two years, which they believe could produce more than a tonne of fuel every day. Plans for a refinery sized plant are in the pipeline for some time within the next 15 years.

By. Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com