The path to achieving net-zero liquid fuel

Researchers from Monash University and Hokkaido University have developed a method that converts carbon dioxide into a diesel-range fuel and has the potential to produce a net-zero liquid fuel alternative to power cars more sustainably. When carbon dioxide (CO2) is added to the manufacturing process of fuel production, it has the capability to produce fuels that reduce or reverse the net CO2 emissions. When the hydrogen required for this process is supplied via solar powered water electrolysis, the entire process becomes completely renewable. The end result is a net-zero carbon emitting fuel product. The transition to 100 per cent renewable energy resources is essential to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels over the last century. The research, which was recently published in the Journal of Energy Chemistry, offers a diesel-range fuel alternative which has the capability to be applied anywhere in the world. Associate Professor Akshat Tanksale, from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Monash University, says OME (oxymethylene ethers), are among a number of fuel alternatives that are attracting increasing attention for their net-zero carbon emitting properties.