Separately, we worry about too much or too little of them. But together they form a successful tandem. Combining water and CO2 is nothing new. These two ingredients are, for example, behind the formula of some of the world’s most famous beverages. Now, innovation and technology want to take them to another level. Would it be possible to make e-fuels from these elements?
This is the starting point for synthetic fuels. If we think about it, some of the most recent innovations experimented by the vehicles we find on the market were almost impossible a few years ago.
And if cars, trucks, or buses evolve in terms of design or functionality, the fuels that power them must also adapt. In 2020, the European Commission announced the launch of the Strategy for Intelligent and Sustainable Mobility. The aim is to reduce 90% of CO2 emissions from the transport sector by 2050. Among other proposals, the plan promotes the development and use of synthetic fuels as one of the solutions to decarbonize mobility.
Also known as e-fuels, synthetic fuels are made from hydrogen and CO2 removed from the atmosphere. Their added value is that they are zero net emissions. When they are used, the CO2 emitted by the combustion engine is equivalent to that used in the manufacture of the fuel, which was removed from the atmosphere thanks to direct air capture or through biogenic sources.
In this way, the CO2 is reused and offset. On the other hand, hydrogen is obtained by processes such as electrolysis or photoelectrocatalysis, which break the water molecule to separate it. The challenge is to do this in a sustainable way, making the electricity come entirely from renewable sources. To date, work is being done on different types of synthetic products: e-lubes, e-gasoline, e-GLP, e-diesel, and e-Jet.
E-fuels
In addition, they bring other advantages as standard. The physicochemical properties of e-fuels are similar to those of conventional fuels. They are therefore compatible with existing engines and can be supplied through the entire refueling network developed for gasoline and diesel fuels.
“They are valid fuels for any type of vehicle, cars, trucks, airplanes, ships… In principle, they can serve any mobility sector, especially means of transport that travel long distances,” says Javier Aríztegui, manager of Energy Transition and Mobility at Repsol Technology Lab.
In Spain, companies such as Repsol are already working on its development. The energy company will build one of the world’s largest synthetic fuel production plants in the port of Bilbao. The initial investment is around 60 million euros and it is expected to come into operation in 2024.
The scaling up of production and the widespread use of these new fuels will be one of the levers for the transformation of a sector that is responsible for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
In Aríztegui’s words, “the transport of people and goods will continue to require liquid fuels as the main source of energy for a long time to come. The current costs of access to new technologies or the limitations of existing technological developments make alternatives with increasingly lower emissions, efficient and accessible to all, necessary“.
The incorporation of new forms of energy will materialize in the coming years until a point of coexistence between them is reached. “We will have to put on the table all the solutions we have available and each user will choose the one that best suits their needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” concludes Aríztegui.
Source: Energías Renovables (2022)