Machine to recycle CO2 into fuel
Posted by Ben Proudlove on Wed, Nov 25, 2009 @ 05:34 AM
This post on worldchanging.com details the new development at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico where they are using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to syngas.
Using an iron oxide that loses an oxygen molecule at high temperature (1500degC) and retrieves one when cooled down the system can be used to convert CO2 to CO and also H2O to H2. So you can either use it for making Syngas or Hydrogen generation for use in fuel cells.
This is quite an interesting development as it means a relatively low energy demand (the system uses heat from the Sun to generate the 1500degC needed) unlike some other alternative fuel sources. The syngas can then be converted to synthetic fuel via Fischer Tropsch reactions or the hydrogen could be used for electricity generation through fuel cells.
Synthetic fuels can be used though the existing infrastructure so relatively easily employed as an alternative to current car fuels. The hydrogen usage in fuel cells can also be either utilised in mobile fuel cells (e.g. those located in a car) or perhaps easier can be utilised through larger static fuel cells to feed back electricity into the grid (and then distributed where needed).
So does that mean in the future all you'll need is a Sandia type system, a fuel cell, some water and a bit of sunshine. So looks like the UK will be oil dependent for a while longer then......