Over the next decade, space agencies and private space companies like SpaceX plan to build a base on the Moon and Mars. While scientists are already building rockets for the journey, astronauts need fuel to run their daily activities for long-term human settlements on either one. Many have already proposed hydrogen as a possible solution. But a group of scientists is working on converting carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere into synthetic jet fuel. Since Mars is rich in CO2 (about 96%) and lunar regoliths have a high concentration of carbon dioxide, it offers a possible solution.
For now, however, the team of scientists at the University of Oxford is focusing on making jet fuel for the aviation industry. As the aviation industry contributes more than 900 million tons of CO2 each year to combat climate change, it is necessary to turn the tide and ensure it becomes carbon neutral. The other aspect is that fossil fuel is a non-renewable resource, which means it will run out of gas at some point. That’s why it’s important to focus on different types of fuel.
So far, aviation scientists have tried to use various other energy sources such as electricity to fly. But such flights are limited to short distances. There is no alternative for long-haul flights. “It is seen as part of a series of approaches to mitigating climate change. It will not be the end, it will not be the last story, there will be many other things and it could also be a bridging technology,” said Chemistry professor Shane Telfer from Massey University told News Hub NZ.
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CO2 to jet fuel
The concept of converting CO2 into jet fuel is not new. As fossil fuel burns, it breaks down and CO2 gas is released into the atmosphere. That is why many scientists have tried to find a way to convert atmospheric CO2 into ethanol (jet fuel). What Oxford researchers propose is adding an inexpensive iron-based catalyst and hydrogen that would convert it into ethanol, recycling the atmospheric CO2 into ethanol. Because no fossil fuel is extracted, the industry becomes climate neutral. The study result has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Previously, other similar methods relied on expensive catalysts such as cobalt to start the chemical reaction. Now the Oxford researchers proposed using a cheap iron-based catalyst. Because the catalyst is placed in a reaction chamber alongside CO2 and hydrogen gas, the process separates the carbon molecules and attaches to hydrogen to form a hydrocarbon molecule or jet fuel. The rest turns into water.
The researchers tested the new catalyst in a small reaction chamber at 300 ° Celsius and 10 times the air pressure at sea level. The whole process took 20 hours and 38 percent of the CO2 was converted into new chemicals. About 48 percent of that was ethanol or jet fuel hydrocarbon, and the rest were other byproducts such as ethylene and propylene used in plastic production, Science News reported.
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Professor Peter Edwards, one of the lead scientists in the project, said the new method could be scaled up within two to three years to produce jet fuel in large quantities and make it economically viable.
“This is truly an exciting, potentially revolutionary advance, the most significant advance in my career spanning four decades. Our vision is that the world can see that captured CO2 can be used as an energy carrier to enable sustainable aviation. to grow a new UK synthetic jet fuel production industry, ”he said adding that his team was in talks with UK industry to set up a pilot plant.
Other similar projects
The Oxford University project isn’t the only one trying to convert CO2 into fuel. Eight other companies are also working on similar projects. A Swiss company is building a facility to capture CO2 from the atmosphere, while a New Zealand start-up called Lanzatech has adopted a different method to convert industrial waste gas into ethanol. Virgin Airline’s biofuel flight was powered in part by Lanzatech’s fuel.
If the Oxford University project can be scaled up, it could grab the attention of Elon Musk. A similar method can be used to produce enough water and fuel to light up a colony on Mars and the Moon.