Audi Just Invented Fuel Made From CO₂ and Water

An Audi research facility in Dresden, Germany, has managed to create the first batches of diesel fuel with a net-zero carbon footprint — made from carbon dioxide (CO2), water and renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power.
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Manufacturing involves first breaking down steam into hydrogen and oxygen through high-temperature electrolysis. The hydrogen then reacts with CO2 to create a liquid called “blue crude.” This is then refined to make the e-diesel.
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How many times have we heard this exact same story? "Brand new environmentally friendly fuel invented!" - never to hear anything about it ever again. The usual reasoning is that oil companies buy the inventions/bio fuels to ensure that we have to rely on oil to keep moving... This time, it may be different seeing that Audi isn't exactly just some guy in his garage willing to "sell out".

Car companies have been working towards fuel efficient cars in the past 5 years or so, with a lot of electric cars seeing the light, i.e. car companies have definitely changed their attitude towards the oil companies and environmentalists... So, I think this may be different for a change. If someone's going to bring us an alternative to oil, I can imagine it being Audi...

Here's to hoping...

a reply to: Gemwolf

I read this on Graham Hancocks site, this morning. I considered posting this as well, but somehow this information always seems to disappear in short order. Heres hopin with ya.

a reply to: Gemwolf

It's the energy involved that has been the problem, thermolysis happens at something like 5000 degrees. It can be electrolysis assisted at lower temperatures.

And of course their stock is down (at the time of this post). All the big investment banks know it will never see the light of day.

Fuel is commonly referred to as a hydrocarbon by people in the field.

Water is Hydrogen and Oxygen.
Carbon Dioxide is Carbon and Oxygen.

Logically, you can make a hydrocarbon out of these things with a waste product of Oxygen.


The trouble comes when you actually do it- hydrocarbons burn, releasing energy.
It takes energy to recombine them, too.

Probably more than they gave out.

If it takes ten gallons of diesel fuel to run the generator enough to make the energy to produce a gallon of synthetic diesel fuel, the technology is pretty much a waste of time.

This is the same reason you don't see windmills on electric cars. Sure, the technology exists- but it's pointless.

a reply to: BlueJacket

Normally, I would agree with you.. But given the fact it is a large manufacturer making the announcement, I think they might have been given the OK.

They probably just needed to find a way to make sure it is proprietary.

I would be curious as to what the price per gallon ends up being.

I am guessing that it will be quite expensive, if it requires breaking water down into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis just for starters.

originally posted by: lordcomac
Fuel is commonly referred to as a hydrocarbon by people in the field.

Water is Hydrogen and Oxygen.
Carbon Dioxide is Carbon and Oxygen.

Logically, you can make a hydrocarbon out of these things with a waste product of Oxygen.


The trouble comes when you actually do it- hydrocarbons burn, releasing energy.
It takes energy to recombine them, too.

Probably more than they gave out.

If it takes ten gallons of diesel fuel to run the generator enough to make the energy to produce a gallon of synthetic diesel fuel, the technology is pretty much a waste of time.

This is the same reason you don't see windmills on electric cars. Sure, the technology exists- but it's pointless.

Ultimately, running pebble bed reactors as the heat source and capturing the hydrogen and oxygen for energy makes the most sense to me. It could be a practical distributed energy infrastructure which could finally make fuel cells commonplace.

a reply to: Gemwolf

Cool.

I had thought they had already made a diesel though. I know there have been several breakthroughs with making liquid fuels from this process such as jet fuel and a fuel much like gasoline so now all three are covered.

If they coupled the process with Geothermal renewable energy while also taking advantage of the natural heating properties with Geothermal there is a definite possibility of cost reduction in the refining process.

A year or so ago the Navy said they could produce the fuel for approximately $6 a gallon, but they were working on making it more efficient. That was for their jets and it was coupled with the ships nuclear reactors for the power source.

U.S. Navy says it can now convert seawater into fuel.

US experts have found out how to extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas from seawater.

Then, using a catalytic converter, they transformed them into a fuel by a gas-to-liquids process. They hope the fuel will not only be able to power ships, but also planes.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.rawstory.com...


The predicted cost of jet fuel using the technology is in the range of three to six dollars per gallon, say experts at the US Naval Research Laboratory, who have already flown a model airplane with fuel produced from seawater.

a reply to: butcherguy

I was wondering the same thing. At least if there is a viable alternative it would be a free market with competitive pricing and no longer the monopoly we have with the oil industry.

Well, technically speaking. But Audi exists to make money after all, so it won't be "free" or even cheap.

Well if it takes more energy than you get out of it, how is that green?

Hey guys! I just made a gallon fresh clean water! I only used three gallons of water and 1000kw of electricity to do it.....

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Very simple.

You use renewable energy sources to produce a carbon-neutral liquid fuel.

That is how it is green.


If the electric use to produce the fuel comes from wind, solar, geothermal it is a green technology.

The navy plans to use its nuclear reactors to generate the necessary electric.

A video with an explanation and alternative information:



And a GRAPHIC explaining the process.

Edit: According to the video the expected price will be around 1.00 and 1.50 Euros (current price in Germany for Diesel is 1.25 Euro).

a reply to: Gemwolf

navy is also working on something like that.

www.nrl.navy.mil...

nothing new.

originally posted by: Gemwolf
a reply to: butcherguy

I was wondering the same thing. At least if there is a viable alternative it would be a free market with competitive pricing and no longer the monopoly we have with the oil industry.

Well, technically speaking. But Audi exists to make money after all, so it won't be "free" or even cheap.

And either move onto the energy market or sell it to one of them the patent would be worth billions.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
Well if it takes more energy than you get out of it, how is that green?

Hey guys! I just made a gallon fresh clean water! I only used three gallons of water and 1000kw of electricity to do it.....

Its not bottom line people think for example solar doesn't have an environmental cost it does. Just it van produce more energy than it costs to produce. Batteries are the big draw back they are an environmental nightmare.

Sorry i have a compulsive joke disorder:

So they finally read a high school science book.

a reply to: dragonridr


Exactly right. I'm not against alternative energy sources and I believe the government should fund the hell out of researching green tech, but I hate how they gloss over the inefficiencies.

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
a reply to: dragonridr


Exactly right. I'm not against alternative energy sources and I believe the government should fund the hell out of researching green tech, but I hate how they gloss over the inefficiencies.

See people hear we can make fuel out of water. Yes we can not a problem process is fairly simple. Than they don't see anyone using this and think the oil companies bought them to maintain a profit. They don't realize there is no oil companies any more they are now energy prividers. They use geothermal solar nuclear oil coal they don't care. What the deciding factor is cost can they make money selling it how much energy does it cost to make it.

If a company events something or produces a fuel that's cheap it will replace all the others. The best is nuclear beyond a doubt but than people scream they don't want a nuclear plant near them Yada yada. If the federal restrictions were removed you could have the US electrical grid switched over withing 2 decades.