An 'Atmospherically Healthy' Recipe for Carbon-Neutral Fuels: A synthetic fuel made from sunlight, CO{sub}2, and water

摘要

The concept of carbon neutral hydrocarbon fuels formed from "carbon free" energy, atmospheric CO{sub}2, and water is discussed. The three required technologies - cost competitive "carbon free" energy, efficient atmospheric capture of CO{sub}2, and conversion of CO{sub}2 to hydrocarbons are highlighted. Of these three, Atmospheric CO{sub}2 extraction is shown to be one of the key technology enablers. Methods for atmospheric CO{sub}2 capture are discussed. Experimental data of novel electrochemical carbon capture using ion exchange membranes and room temperature ionic liquid membranes is shown. Current efficiencies approaching 30% for atmospheric CO{sub}2 concentrations are demonstrated. The ionic liquid membranes with their inherently low solvent loss are observed to be very robust to degradation.