A team comprising U.K. and KSA researchers have discovered a new way to manufacture jet fuel with carbon dioxide as the main ingredient. The research was published in the Nature Communications journal and highlighted the process in detail.
Scientists focused on a business-backed model to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The researchers used a process called ‘organic combustion’ to convert carbon dioxide into jet fuel and other products.
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Consistent testing revealed that over a period of 20 hours, 38 percent of the pressurized carbon dioxide was converted into jet fuel. An empirical breakdown revealed that jet fuel accounted for 48 percent of the produced products. The bi-products included water, propylene, and ethylene. The research suggests using this manufacturing process would release the same amount of carbon dioxide that was used to make it.
In detail, the entire process involved an iron catalyst (with added potassium and manganese) coupled with hydrogen, citric acid, and carbon dioxide, pre-heated to 350 degrees Celsius. The process disintegrated the CO2 molecule, and the oxygen atoms bonded with hydrogen, producing an almost identical hydrocarbon molecular buildup found in liquid jet fuel.
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The team of researchers concluded that the new process to manufacture jet fuel will cost significantly less compared to conventional methods of production. The process utilizes less electricity, similar to the process that converts hydrogen and water into fuel.
The researchers also suggested that the new conversion systems could be installed in plants that are major contributors to carbon emissions, particularly coal-fired power plants.
