Let’s face it. The world is changing. It is no longer just the pet project of a few far-flung startups. They’re here, they’re good, and their popularity is growing. Gas-powered cars are dying a slow death in the face of the more practical, popular options, much like the Carpocalypse of the last decade. And while electric cars have their growing pains, the reality is that the future of cars is electric. or is it? With the gasoline-powered Porsche cooking, the combustion engine may be viable for longer than we think.
Donat Media visits the Porsche Synthetic Fuels plant in Chile
Porsche is one of the major players in the game. With its Chilean operation, the brand from Stuttgart produces synthetic fuels using only water and air. That might sound like a conspiracy theory from the ’70s, but it isn’t. In a recent video from Donut Media, details of how Porsche makes its own synthetic fuel shed light on how it works.
It’s a picnic. However, it is much easier to do than one might initially imagine.
To begin, the Porsche scientists needed rich sources of both hydrogen and carbon. Naturally, these two elements are easy to find in water and air. Through a process called electrolysis, a water molecule separates into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The oxygen returns to the atmosphere, while the hydrogen remains in the second step.
Things get more complicated here. The ultimate goal is to use an air collector to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Next, you’ll separate it into its individual elements. This machine isn’t quite ready for the kind of volume Porsche requires, so it’s currently shipping at the critical compound.
Once the carbon dioxide is collected, it goes through a series of heaters and solvents to break down the carbon and oxygen atoms. Again, clean oxygen expels, and carbon stays behind for further processing.
Now that the carbon and hydrogen have been sequestered, they go through a complex process of purification to produce methanol. And while this is undoubtedly a powerful fuel, it still needs a little more refinement to become a functional gasoline.
The result is heavy and light gasoline, which are then blended to produce a higher octane fuel. Not only does this fuel work, but it is identical to the premium fuels found in today’s gas pumps.
Identical in more than just functionality
Accordingly, not only is its function similar to regular gasoline, but it is exactly the same compound as gasoline. This means that they will burn the same way, being completely safe for today’s engines. Better yet, it’s completely carbon neutral.
How is synthetic gasoline carbon neutral?
In this case, carbon neutrality is somewhat of a marketing ploy; But the statement isn’t entirely incorrect either. Because the tailpipe emissions of synthetic fuel are the same as the carbon dioxide that goes into making it, this gasoline is technically carbon neutral.
This assumes no transportation and production facility that runs entirely on renewable energy, which can be a pain point when these things become mainstream. However, the fact that truly functional gasoline can come from nothing but water and air is a good sign for the future of combustion engines.
