Making Gasoline Out Of Thin Air
The hell you say!
Gasoline right out of the air? Yes, and I can prove it. The concept is so simple, I should have thought of this myself. To understand how we get gasoline from thin air, you have to know what gasoline is made of. So here’s all you need to know. Don’t freak out at the molecule diagram. Anything you can represent with Tinkertoys® can’t be that hard.
What is gasoline made of?
Hydrocarbons are made of only Hydrogen (H) and Carbon (C), and nothing else. A hydrocarbon molecule can have from 5 to 12 Carbon atoms, and roughly just over twice that number of Hydrogen atoms. Thus we name the molecules Pentane, Sextane, Heptane, Octane, Nonane, Decane, etc., based on their number of Carbon atoms. I’m showing Heptane (C7H16) here because it is the most abundant component of gasoline, but all the molecules look like this, the difference being only the number of Carbon atoms.
Gasoline is made of of about 70% Heptane, 30% Octane or IsoOctane, and then a few chemical additives for improved combustion.
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And What is Air Made Of?
| Nitrogen | 76% |
| Oxygen | 19% |
| Water Vapor | 1-5% |
| Argon | <1% |
| Methane, Amonia, noble gasses, everything else | Trace |
NOW you see the simplicity of the idea. All we need to make gasoline is Hydrogen and Carbon. We get the Carbon (C) from the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the air. We get the Hydrogen (H) by splitting the Water (H2O), and voila!
The Process
The idea is one thing, the actual technology was developed out of a program at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). Details of the process will be discussed at the Alternative Energy Now symposium (sponsored by the U.S. Air Force), which is going on right now (Feb 20-21, 2008), but may not be made public (because it is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force). HOWEVER, this reporter has discovered that the technology probably grew out of a similar effort at the University of Southern California under Professor George Olah.
Cons: “Gimme the bad news first”
Where to get the power
To construct molecules by reforming or reacting, you have to have an energy input. For efficiency’s sake, it doesn’t make sense to burn a hydrocarbon fuel to make a hydrocarbon fuel. Therefore, the process currently uses nuclear power. The University of Columbia, however, is working on ways to use solar energy for the process.Price per gallon
Current estimates are the gasoline from this process will cost $4.60/gallon.
Restricted Availability?Let’s be real. This is a government lab working on a project funded by the Department of Defense. Even if they could do it for cheaper than current conventional gasoline methods, there’s not guarantee this technology would make it to the private sector. It therefore might not help with the price at the pump in an oil crisis.
Pros:
Carbon Neutral
The process takes the Carbon out of the air in the process of making the gasoline. So when the gasoline is burned, it goes back into the air in perfect balance. There is no excess carbon from burning the fuel.
PortabilityLet’s say we have a military installation somewhere in the world. Maybe the mountains of Afghanistan, where there just ain’t an Exxon station on every corner. Ship out a portable nuclear reactor (similar to those used in submarines), and using this process, make all the fuel you want.
Abundance
OK, it’s a bit pricey, but still cheaper than regular gasoline in England ($6.60/gal), and theoretically we can generate all the gasoline we want as long as we have air. Note — If we run out of air, then it won’t matter, because gasoline won’t burn without air (That’s supposed to be funny).
My Thoughts In this case, I’m like my friend, Harry who suspects none of the good technology will ever trickle down to us peons. I agree. Also, I think it can be a huge help to our government, which will aid in the maintenance of infrastructure and government services in the event of a supply crisis… but it won’t help you and me when we fill up at the Slurp N’ Go.
– E.J. Wilson (Zehaas)
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TC said:
I love the concept, but I am leery as well. Basically everything in existence can be made from hydrogen itself. Toss in some carbon and I would dare say you can make anything. The problem is, as I understand it, that some things require more energy than physically possible. There are some combinations of atoms that when you try and combine them they simply resist.
I can’t wait to see what comes out of this research it surely sounds groundbreaking. If they can manage this the applications are enormous. Even at $20 a gallon there are military applications.
Ben said:
Love your new speaking platform, EJ! When do you think we’ll start planning for colonization of Titan to milk it of its hydrocarbon resources?
TC said:
The thing is, with oncoming laws we would never be able to use the resources of Titan because they would create greenhouse gases:)
Zehaas said:
For anyone who isn’t familiar with the findings. The Cassini team, Feb. 13, 2008, announced that Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, literally has oceans and rivers of liquid Ethane and Methane (natural gas). Hundreds of times more hydrocarbons than the total of everything on our big blue marble.
The cost of any manned space mission is in the billions, so, unless we build a pipeline from Titan to Earth, I don’t see it as being a viable way to bring down the price at the pump.
We should go to Titan, but not so we can put up a big Exxon sign, but fore the pure science of it. The nice thing is, if the return fuel is already there, maybe we can save weight on the trip out.
– E.J. Wilson (Zehaas)
HARRY (WAL-MART) said:
Boy another thron in the side of big bucks (OIL COMPANYS).
I realy do wish all these new fuel programs would go into effect give big bucks a run for their money for a change.
Punkin said:
Very interesting Gentleman… and Harry? you type liek i do. I can appreciate teh genius of it….
Harold P. Sanders said:
Yhank you! My eyes are bad and my learn is very lacking but I do love what you both write.
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