Game changing Navy technology can turn seawater into jet fuel

[Reefa]

This week, a scale WWII airplane model took to the sky powered by fuel derived from seawater. It was a demonstration small in scale but large in import, as the combustion engine successfully ran on hydrocarbon chains built from Earth’s most abundant source of carbon.

The process which created this fuel is the culmination of several years of research in multiple areas, but the ultimate product is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons ranging from 9 to 16 carbons in length. This means it could be a viable replacement for most petroleum-based jet fuels.

The process, developed at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), begins by passing water into the first reaction chamber where it is subjected to an oxidation-reduction cycle that produces two useful gasses: hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2). This step represents a distinct breakthrough in the efficiency of hydrogen gas production, in particular. It’s one thing to create jet fuel from lab-quality samples of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, but quite another to do it in the real world with actual seawater. This Navy study proves that it is at least possible to derive the precursors to hydrocarbon fuels from the sea.

Part of the multi-step production setup at the US Naval Research Laboratory.

The second step involves assembling gaseous hydrogen and carbon dioxide into liquid hydrocarbons. The two small building block molecules are fed into a second cell, which uses a proprietary iron-based catalyst to slowly assemble chains of a certain length. These chains can be combined and recombined until the desired chain-length is reached. This step produces methane as an unwanted waste product, but the researchers have developed ways of decreasing methane production — and of using that conserved carbon to create more fuel. Once the desired chains have been created, treatment with a second metal-based catalyst does the final chemical modification.

Hydrocarbons of various lengths underlie just about every major fuel source today, from the gasoline you put in your car to the jet fuel that powers an SR-71 Blackbird. As a result, this technology has the enormous advantage of producing fuel that is usable by current engines, with no need for modification.

It also means that, while seawater is an abundant and strategically useful resource, it will not be any greener or more carbon-neutral than modern fuels — at least, not via this technology. Carbon capture from the air could be mostly carbon neutral, but the concentrations of carbon in water are up to five times higher than in air; currently the only technology that can take truly useful advantage of atmospheric CO2 is found in life itself, as created by biological evolution.

One commonly used military jet fuel can run as high as about $3 per gallon, but researchers predict their process will result in prices of up to $6 for the same amount. As a result, this technology will most likely end up working as an emergency fuel source for ships with long-term missions. As abundant as seawater is, it’s unlikely to replace fossil fuels as our primary source of hydrocarbons anytime soon.

Rather than setting out with the intention of using seawater to fill their main fuel tanks, ships will more likely maintain a treatment facility in case their time at sea is unexpectedly prolonged. A ship with such a facility could offer relief when the price or availability of oil is threatened, and could fundamentally change the strategic importance of several US military bases around the world.

These researchers have in hand a proof of concept for powering vehicles (albeit small ones) with fuel derived from seawater. The two-step process creates liquid hydrocarbon fuel — now the team needs to improve efficiency at every level. Though they have already pushed forward the production of hydrogen from water, they want an even more efficient capture of H2 gas and CO2.

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[OrbingStorm]

Oh the oil companies wont like this at all.