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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 travel, for long-term human settlements on either of them, astronauts will need fuel to carry out daily activities. Many have already proposed hydrogen as a possible solution. But a group of scientists are working to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere into synthetic jet fuel. Since Mars is rich in CO2 (around 96%) and the 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 focused on manufacturing jet fuel for the aviation industry. As the aeronautics industry contributes more than 900 million tonnes of CO2 each year, to fight climate change, it is necessary to turn the tide and ensure that it leans towards carbon neutrality. The other aspect is that fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, which means that at some point the world will run out of gasoline. Therefore, it is important to focus on different forms of fuel.
Until now, aviation scientists have tried using different other sources of energy like electricity to fly. But these flights are limited to short distances. For long distance flights, there is still no alternative. “It is seen as part of a series of approaches to mitigate climate change. It won’t be the end, it won’t be the last story, there will be a lot of other things and it could also be an transition technology, ”Massey University chemistry professor Shane Telfer told News Hub NZ.
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CO2 in jet fuel
The concept of converting CO2 to jet fuel is not new. As fossil fuel burns, it decomposes and emits CO2 into the atmosphere. Therefore, many scientists have tried to find a way to convert atmospheric CO2 into ethanol (jet fuel). What the Oxford researchers are proposing is adding an inexpensive iron and hydrogen catalyst that would convert it to ethanol, recycling atmospheric CO2 to ethanol. As the process would not involve the extraction of fossil fuels, it will make the industry carbon neutral. The result of the study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Previously, other similar methods had to rely on expensive catalysts like cobalt to start the chemical reaction. Now Oxford researchers have proposed using an inexpensive iron catalyst. When the catalyst is placed in a reaction chamber alongside CO2 and hydrogen gas, the process separates carbon molecules and binds with 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 pressure of air at sea level. The whole process took 20 hours and converted 38% of the CO2 to new chemicals. About 48% of that was ethanol or jet fuel hydrocarbon and the rest was other by-products such as ethylene and propylene which are used in the production of plastics, Science News reported.
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Professor Peter Edwards, one of the project’s lead scientists, said the new method could be scaled up in two to three years to produce jet fuel in large quantities to make it economically viable.
“This is a truly exciting, potentially revolutionary breakthrough, the most important in my four decades of career. Our vision is that the world can see that the captured CO2 can be used as an energy carrier to enable sustainable aviation. With government support, this would help spur the growth of a new UK synthetic aviation fuel manufacturing industry, ”he said, adding that his team was in discussions with UK industries to set up a pilot plant.
Other similar projects
The Oxford University project is not 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 named Lanzatech has adopted a different method to convert industrial waste gases into ethanol. Virgin Airline’s biofuel flight was partially fueled by Lanzatech fuel.
If the Oxford University project can be scaled up, it could catch Elon Musk’s attention. A similar method can be used to produce enough water and fuel to light up a colony on Mars and on the Moon.
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