Two of the problems with making a clean fuel are how to store it and how to transfer it.Batteries can drive land vehicles, some large ships, and in some instances even propel flight. At this point in time, a necessary goal is to produce fuel that will not disrupt our natural settings such as will happen to the Alaska coast and to our national parks after this upcoming inauguration.We need a fuel that is spontaneously generated without being a part of our food supply. A fuel that does not require vast amounts of clean water to process; in fact it turns the water used into a hydrocarbon. A fuel that does not require fertilizer or one that does not cause nitrification of the soil and a subsequent harmful runoff. A fuel that does not increase carbon emission. A fuel that does not require any change of the engines that use gasoline, diesel or jet fuel. A fuel that actually starts out as water and turned into any of our standard fuels without drilling and can be made anywhere there is good available sunlight.Well, there is one company that appears to be on the right track — Synhelion.Synhelion is a Swiss company that started in Zurich. Its product is based on a “reverse ideology” in which Synhelion takes water and breaks it down via thermal process of extreme high heat to its basic components hydrogen and oxygen. It makes this high heat — over 1000 degrees Celsius — vis a vis mirrors that focus the sun’s energy into a “receiver.” The receiver then takes this energy to split the molecules of water, then takes the hydrogen and combines carbon dioxide to make it into the hydrocarbons we all know and love. The resulting product called “syngas” that is then converted into syncrude. From syncrude is made kerosene, diesel fuel or gasoline at a nearby refinery.The specific technology utilized is beyond the scope of this column, but please check out www.synhelion.com for an explanation of the process.Surpasses ethanolEthanol has been touted as a clean biofuel. Well, it’s not that efficient but the efficiency of solar water splitting combined with carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization to produce fuels can surpass ethanol production in several key ways, particularly when viewed through the lenses of resource utilization, energy input, environmental impact, and availability.Here’s a breakdown of why:1) Ethanol requires a great deal of water to process.2) According to the RFA Renewable Fuels the “energy Balance” shows that the ratio of ethanol equivalent energy value to produce ethanol these ratios have varied from 1 gallon to produce 1.25 gallons to 4 gallons. The mean today is 2.3, which means it takes 1 gallon of equivalent energy to make 2.3 gallons of ethanol.3) Ethanol requires large areas of land for growing corn.4) Pollution runoff has required government subsidies to restore farm land in Iowa. (New York Times)5) Drought conditions.6) Substantial subsidies for environmental issues.7) Substantial corn subsidies for continued operation.
Lun. Dic 23rd, 2024
