The US Navy recently announced that a test flight of an aircraft on The fuel produced from seawater was successful. At the heart of technology is a process that extracts carbon dioxide and hydrogen from water, and then converts it into liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
A photo from open sources
True, we are talking only about a small radio-controlled model P-51 Mustang aircraft from WWII. Nonetheless, successful demonstration proves the potential of extraction technology carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) from seawater and turning them into liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
A new technology called GTL uses a dedicated module Electrolyte Cation Exchange (E-CEM), which removes CO2 from seawater with an efficiency of 92% and simultaneously produces H2. The resulting gases are then using a metal catalyst turn into liquid hydrocarbons.
Until now, such technologies have been demonstrated only in laboratory processes that produce a few milliliters of fuel. For the first time, NRL scientists have scaled the technology, more Moreover, they declare that in the future it can be applied to navy, actually on an industrial scale.
Carbon dioxide is one of the richest sources of carbon in the world. The earth. At the same time, the concentration of CO2 in the ocean is 140 times higher than in in the air. It should be noted that 2-3% of carbon dioxide is dissolved in water in the form of carbonic acid, 1% in the form of carbonate, and the remaining 96-97% bound in the form of bicarbonate.
During the process, GTL, CO2 and H2 are converted to hydrocarbon molecules. In the first step, the iron-based catalyst reaches carbon dioxide conversion efficiency up to 60% and reduces unwanted methane production in favor of long chain unsaturated hydrocarbons (olefins). These hydrocarbons serve building blocks for the production of industrial chemicals and fuel.
In a second step, olefins are converted to a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules from C9 to C16. This fluid is suitable for replacement of the oil base in the fuel for turbines, including aircraft.
The predicted price of jet fuel produced using GTL technology is in the range of $ 0.8 – $ 1.6 per liter. it reasonable cost, even if you discard the benefits of liquidation costly logistics chain for delivering fuel to remote regions.
GTL installation scalable: adding modules allows increase fuel production
A photo from open sources
Representatives of the Navy say this breakthrough “change the rules of the war game.” According to the developers, the technology GTL will be commercially viable in the next 7-10 years. IN Currently, scientists are trying to make a more powerful installation, which can produce large amounts of fuel.
In case of successful completion of the GTL project, the opportunity will appear provide fuel to remote naval bases and ships, in in particular, nuclear carriers that can independently provide your air group with fuel. This will significantly increase autonomy and combat stability of aircraft carrier drums groupings.
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