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Making crude oil out of thin air?
Bakken.com ^ | November 22, 2013 | John Bestoloffe

Posted on 01/09/2014 3:15:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

There is big news coming out of the Middle East that one of the hottest commodities can be made out of the earth’s two most common elements, carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Energy could see a substantial progression of discovery thanks to a group of researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Israel. The group reports that they have pioneered a process that converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas into a renewable alternative for crude oil.

The alternative has been dubbed “green feed” crude oil. This innovative idea was made possible by the use of nanomaterials which reduces the amount of energy in the catalytic process to make the oil.

If the green feed crude experiment proves to be successful, the liquid fuels made from carbon dioxide and hydrogen could be in the pipeline as soon as five years from now, barring no technological difficulties.

Green feed crude will ultimately change the commodity’s transportation process, reduce emission of air pollutants into the environment and revolutionize the oil market across the globe.

The oil can be refined into a renewable liquid fuel by using existing technologies and transported using existing infrastructure channels to fueling stations.

Prof. Moti Hershkowitz, Israel Cohen chair in chemical engineering and the vice president and dean of research and development at BGU, recently stated that they are able to use zero-cost resources (carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun) and combine them to get real fuels.

“BGU has filed the patents and we are ready to demonstrate and commercialize it,” Hershkowitz said. “Ethanol (alcohol), biodiesel and/or blends of these fuels with conventional fuels are far from ideal,” he explained. “There is a pressing need for a game-changing approach to produce alternative, drop-in, liquid transportation fuels by sustainable, technologically viable and environmentally acceptable emissions processes from abundant, low-cost, renewable materials.”

BGU is no stranger to transforming the world’s energy sector. Doron Krakow, executive vice president of BGU released a statement saying, “Ben-Gurion University’s Blechner Center has been at the forefront of alternative fuel research and development, working with major American oil and automotive companies for more than 20 years.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: bgu; co2; electrolysis; energy; greenfeedcrude; hydrogen; israel; oil; science
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

CO2 and H2O are at a low energy state (low energy of formation) compared to gasoline. That’s why energy is released when gasoline burns.

To form gasoline from CO2 and H2O, you have to put the same amount of energy in as you get back when you burn the gasoline, PLUS all of the energy of inefficiencies of the process used to make the gasoline.

In other words, you will have to put in considerably more energy into the process than you will get out when you burn the gasoline.

Obviously, that energy cannot come from oil (otherwise, you would just refine the oil to gasoline). So, it has to come from other sources, such as nuclear or renewable, or maybe even coal (oops, the EPA won’t let us use coal). The only reason to make gasoline this way is that we have the infrastructure (distribution system and vehicles) that uses gasoline. But the inefficiencies of making gasoline by this method are not negligible.

And I love the caveat: “barring no technological difficulties.” One of the free things in life when you are developing a new process is “technological difficulties.”


21 posted on 01/09/2014 4:14:41 PM PST by Rocky (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. George Orwell)
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To: Paine in the Neck
“How many barrels of oil will be needed to make the electricity to run this process to generate one barrel oil oil?”

I know! Let's use ethanol!

22 posted on 01/09/2014 4:34:35 PM PST by CrazyIvan (Obama phones= Bread and circuits.)
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To: Rocky

Gosh! if it is that simple why did it take them so long to come up with a break through idea that just doesn’t work. and everyone getting excited about a really stupid idea of air, water, and more g=d damned energy than you can shake a stick at, all mixed together in a secret process, just to say, well, it just doesn’t work.


23 posted on 01/09/2014 4:37:30 PM PST by dirtymac (Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country)
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To: dirtymac

I didn’t say the process doesn’t work. I said it requires energy, it doesn’t create energy.


24 posted on 01/09/2014 4:39:03 PM PST by Rocky (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. George Orwell)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

As is well known, Japan suffered a severe oil shortage during WWII. Prime Minister/General Tojo once asked aviation engineers why they couldn’t design an airplane engine that burned air instead of gasoline. Tojo was viewed in most circles as a blockhead, and the engineers were left speechless. Maybe he was just ahead of his time?


25 posted on 01/09/2014 4:41:22 PM PST by Stevenc131
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Thinking about the impact on the economies of most of the Arab world if the Israelis really figure out how to make fuel out of air.


26 posted on 01/09/2014 5:14:40 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

shouldn’t have said anything until it was ready to ship


27 posted on 01/09/2014 5:20:31 PM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
This lie HAS to be out of Al BGore's office.

Governor Christie might be a big (and we ARE talking LARGE) gasbag, but this fool is a bona fide LIAR.

28 posted on 01/09/2014 6:54:54 PM PST by cloudmountain (.)
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To: cloudmountain

Why would a major Israeli university try to scam everyone?


29 posted on 01/09/2014 6:56:15 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessings instead of your own.)
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To: Jeff Chandler
Let's say this process takes available CO2 and really works, barring the university fantasy presented.

How soon before the Religion of Gaea and Climate protest that we don't have enough CO2 to maintain the atmosphere heat cycle?

30 posted on 01/09/2014 7:41:21 PM PST by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: texas booster

How far away is actual cold fusion?

That will really get the panties in a knot.

I can only hope for the truth.


31 posted on 01/09/2014 8:08:39 PM PST by theneanderthal
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Dam Jews ! And that horrible country Israel. Its no wonder Iran wants to wipe Israel and Jews off the map.

AM ISRAEL CHAI.


32 posted on 01/09/2014 9:25:22 PM PST by ncfool (Obama's aMeriKa 2012 The land of entitlement for the 51% crowd.)
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To: ncfool

A better link.

http://www.i-saef.org/early-success.html


33 posted on 01/09/2014 9:30:04 PM PST by ncfool (Obama's aMeriKa 2012 The land of entitlement for the 51% crowd.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Synthesizing liquid fuels could be a good application for wind and solar energy sources once they’re finally pulled off the grid in favor of more economically sound energy producers.


34 posted on 01/09/2014 10:32:26 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why would a major Israeli university try to scam everyone?

I have no idea. Do you?
By the way, I wasn't on this Israeli university thread.

35 posted on 01/10/2014 2:15:31 PM PST by cloudmountain (.)
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To: cloudmountain

Huh? I was answering your post above. The technique came out of Ben Gurion University in Israel.


36 posted on 01/10/2014 2:23:42 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessings instead of your own.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Huh? I was answering your post above. The technique came out of Ben Gurion University in Israel.

Sorry, I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about. That's okay. That was YESTERDAY, 1000 years ago on the FR!

37 posted on 01/10/2014 4:10:42 PM PST by cloudmountain (.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ...

This (and CO2 sequestration) gets touted every once in a while, along with biomass conversion into fuels, and algae that produces hydrogen instead of sugars. Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.

related keywords:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/electrolysis/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/co2/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hydrogen/index


38 posted on 01/11/2014 5:50:57 AM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: Rocky; SunkenCiv; 2ndDivisionVet
Moti Herskowitz estimates that in only 10 or 20 years, when the cost of hydrogen becomes low enough to be competitive, his innovation could replace pollution-causing jet fuel.

The reactions take place at a maximum of 300 degrees C

http://israel21c.org/environment/simple-air-and-water-fuel-soon-to-take-off/

It will be suitable for production of liquid hydrocarbon fuel from the waste heat at a nuclear power plant.

39 posted on 01/12/2014 1:50:03 AM PST by AdmSmith (GCTGATATGTCTATGATTACTCAT)
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To: AdmSmith
Moti Herskowitz estimates that in only 10 or 20 years, when the cost of hydrogen becomes low enough to be competitive, his innovation could replace pollution-causing jet fuel.

Fuel from air. This will revolutionize the fuel business. Ignore my previous post to the contrary. I suggest you put all of your savings into this process.

40 posted on 01/12/2014 4:51:46 AM PST by Rocky (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. George Orwell)
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