Could diesel made from air help tackle climate change?
Found on BBC News on Tuesday, 01 September 2015
The chemistry to make fuel from CO2 isn't especially hard - split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, add the hydrogen to CO2 to make carbon monoxide and water, then bung in more hydrogen to build up hydrocarbon chains.
But a lot depends on government policy. The actual price of the fuel can be as low as 30% of what we pay at the pump - the rest of the cost is made up of fuel duty, VAT, and the retailer's profit margin.
But it's the cost of electricity that could make or break e-diesel's commercial viability, because the process requires a lot of energy.
Even with just an efficiency of 13% it is useful. Currently storing excess electricty is still a problem, but diesel can be easily transported and stored for long times. So if you create the electricity where it most efficient, for example in a desert, those 13% can be quite profitable.