NEWS NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCESMaking Fuel from Water and CO2https://www.cell.com/joule/pdfExtended/S2542-4351(18)30225-3Major enginee...

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NEWS NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCESMaking Fuel from Water and CO2https://www.cell.com/joule/pdfExtended/S2542-4351(18)30225-3Major engineering problems exist in finding ways to transition from the use of hydrocarbons for energy production. One case is the development of fuel for mobile applications, such as automobiles and aircraft. There are current processes that can create ethanol and biodiesel fuels, but in many cases the original sources are plants that are also needed for food. For more information about how such biological sources interact with water, seehttps://drive.google.com/file/d/16aAx52-LaaI9YGl1KqpNjXtuK4LWkC_l/viewOther solutions exist, such as the use of hydrogen isolated from water by electrolysis, but an option that might not require entirely new engines would be welcome.The present paper is based on the idea that atmospheric CO2 and water can be used to produce a liquid fuel, or at least sequester the CO2 as a way to reduce climate change. The following is a summary of the research now underway.“We describe a process for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere in an industrial plant. The design captures _1 Mt-CO2/year in a continuous process using an aqueous KOH sorbent coupled to a calcium caustic recovery loop. We describe the design rationale, summarize performance of the major unit operations, and provide a capital cost breakdown developed with an independent consulting engineering firm. We report results from a pilot plant that provides data on performance of the major unit operations. We summarize the energy and material balance computed using an Aspen process simulation. When CO2 is delivered at 15 MPa, the design requires either 8.81 GJ of natural gas, or 5.25 GJ of gas and 366 kWhr of electricity, per ton of CO2 captured. Depending on financial assumptions, energy costs, and the specific choice of inputs and outputs, the levelized cost per ton CO2 captured from the atmosphere ranges from 94 to 232 $/t-CO2.”   

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