Exhaust gases released during air travel are among the biggest factors that increase the carbon in the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. Fortunately, a project in Europe has shown that it is possible to create carbon-neutral fuels using just a little more of the essential elements plants use.
Researchers have designed, installed and tested a tower system in Spain that produces aviation fuel using water, carbon dioxide and sunlight.
The technology to produce almost-truly air-to-air jet fuel has been around for several years, but the most important part of this new achievement has been proving the process on an industrial scale by removing it from the laboratory scale.
According to calculations, approximately 5% of human-caused climate change can be attributed to flights using mostly petroleum-based fuels. Finding a clean and environmentally friendly alternative for most long-haul commercial flights is not easy. However, with this technology, it is possible to make the fuel completely carbon neutral, especially if CO2 in the atmosphere is used. In fact, it has the advantage of being truly carbon neutral, unlike many other carbon neutral technologies that try to solve the carbon burden elsewhere in the product chain, as it draws the carbon out of the air beforehand.
According to the article, the efficiency level of the solar reactor used in the system was about 4%. However, it is aimed to increase this level to 15%…
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