Peak Oil News and Message Boards

In a Perspective published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers from the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California describe their work on developing the feasible anthropogenic recycling of carbon dioxide.

Under their scheme, carbon dioxide is captured by absorption technologies from any natural or industrial source, from human activities, or even from the air itself. It can then be converted by feasible chemical transformations into fuels such as methanol, dimethyl ether, and varied products including synthetic hydrocarbons and even proteins for animal feed, thus supplementing the food chain. This broad concept the basis of what they call the Methanol Economy.


The required energy for the synthetic carbon cycle can come from any alternative energy source such as solar, wind, geothermal, and even nuclear energy. The anthropogenic carbon dioxide cycle offers a way of assuring a sustainable future for humankind when fossil fuels become scarce, they propose.

Mack Trucks, part of the Volvo Group, will begin production of dimethyl ether (DME)-powered MACK Pinnacle Axle Back models in 2015. Volvo Trucks had announced earlier this month that it would commercialize dimethyl ether (DME)-powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles in North America, with limited production beginning in 2015. (Earlier post.)

The Pinnacle Axle Back model powered by DME will be equipped with a MACK MP8 engine, offering a 13-liter engine. The Pinnacle Axle Back model is suited for highway van trailer applications, bulk hauling, flatbed and dump trailer jobs.

DME offers diesel-quality performance with a high cetane number and low auto-ignition temperature, but burns cleanly without producing any soot. DME can be made from North America’s plentiful domestic natural gas supply, food waste, animal waste, grass clippings and other sustainable sources. DME can provide up to a 95% CO2 reduction compared with diesel when produced from biomass or biogas

Starvid wrote:Dimetyl ether seem to be a good alternative fuel. It is cheap, costing € 0.49 -0.55 per litre of diesel equivlalent, its potential is huge since it can made from biofuels from the forest and with a CO2 emission less than a tenth of that of diesel. I especially want to point out the potential, which in Sweden is something like 100-150 TWh per year (we use about 140 TWh of oil every year). Compare the size of Swedens forests with those of Russia and Canada. It seems the US might get it's future fuel from Canada, but not from its tar sands.

Maybe forests will be called "The Green Gold"?

http://www.greencarcongress.com/dme/

http://www.atrax.se/pdf/Final_report_DME.pdf