UK-based Cella Energy has developed a synthetic fuel that could lead to US$1.50 per gallon gasoline. Apart from promising a future transportation fuel with a stable price regardless of oil prices, the fuel is hydrogen based and produces no carbon emissions when burned. The technology is based on complex hydrides, and has been developed over a four year top secret program at the prestigious Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford. Early indications are that the fuel can be used in existing internal combustion engined vehicles without engine modification.
According to Stephen Voller CEO at Cella Energy, the technology was developed using advanced materials science, taking high energy materials and encapsulating them using a nanostructuring technique called coaxial electrospraying.
“We have developed new micro-beads that can be used in an existing gasoline or petrol vehicle to replace oil-based fuels,” said Voller. “Early indications are that the micro-beads can be used in existing vehicles without engine modification.”
“The materials are hydrogen-based, and so when used produce no carbon emissions at the point of use, in a similar way to electric vehicles”, said Voller.
The technology has been developed over a four-year top secret programme at the prestigious Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, UK.
The development team is led by Professor Stephen Bennington in collaboration with scientists from University College London and Oxford University.
Professor Bennington, Chief Scientific Officer at Cella Energy said, “our technology is based on materials called complex hydrides that contain hydrogen. When encapsulated using our unique patented process, they are safer to handle than regular gasoline.”
They'll find another use for it that's just as profitable I'm sure.. Mind you, it just says this is a replacement for gasoline, not diesel.. And, I may not be 100% right here, I think that diesel is actually a byproduct from the creation of gasoline during part of the cracking process. But, it may not be necessary to make gasoline to produced diesel, they may be able to crack it at a lower temperature and get diesel.. Dunno..
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Our current composite material uses ammonia borane NH3BH3 as the hydride and polystyrene as the polymer nano-scaffold.
Polystyrene is made from petroleum so I don't see how they can claim zero carbon emissions. I do think that synthetic gasoline is possible and like their concept of delivering Hydrogen to an engine by encapsulating it so it's safe to handle.
