Scientists Accidentally Discover Efficient Process To Turn Co2 Into Ethanol

[Fweethawt]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a23417/convert-co2-into-ethanol/

 

The process is cheap, efficient, and scalable, meaning it could soon be used to remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere.

[Thurisaz]

Cool if true...

[dangitbobby83]

I hope this is true. Could be revolutionary.

[Thurisaz]

Of course if it is real then the inventors are pretty much dead meat already because every Big Oil group will... errrrm... never mind

[bornagainathiest]

Sounds good.

 

But what gas goes back into the atmosphere when this ethanol-from-CO²  is  burned as fuel?

 

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/flexible_fuel_emissions.html

 

Rather than burning ethanol and putting CO² back into the environment, why not go down this road?  (Pun intended)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

 

In June 2016, Nissan announced plans to develop fuel cell vehicles powered by ethanol rather than hydrogen, the fuel of choice by the other car manufacturers that have developed and commercialized fuel cell vehicles, such as the Hyundai Tucson FCEV, Toyota Mirai, and Honda FCX Clarity. The main advantage of this technical approach is that it would be cheaper and easier to deploy the fueling infrastructure than setting up the one required to deliver hydrogen at high pressures, as each hydrogen fueling station costUS$1 million to US$2 million to build.^[55]

Nissan plans to create a technology that uses liquid ethanol fuel as a source to generate hydrogen within the vehicle itself. The technology uses heat to reform ethanol into hydrogen to feed what is known as a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The fuel cell generates electricity to supply power to the electric motor driving the wheels, through a battery that handles peak power demands and stores regenerated energy. The vehicle would include a tank for a blend of water and ethanol, which is fed into an onboard reformer that splits it into pure hydrogen and carbon dioxide. According to Nissan, the liquid fuel could be an ethanol-water blend at a 55:45 ratio. Nissan expects to commercialize its technology by 2020.

 

Why not take combustion out of the equation altogether and use this recovered ethanol to go electric?

 

Thanks,

 

BAA.

 

 

 

 

[rjn]

CO2 into ethanol? Party time! 

[MOHO]

Good practical application , RJN!!!

 

Let's move to the big city.

 

We're all gona PARTY!