Synthetic fuels or e-Fuels

What is synthetic Fuel or e-Fuel?

E-Fuel or synthetic fuel is a liquid fuel, very similar to what we know today. The big difference is that it does not come from fossil energy sources, but from a chemical process based on hydrogen, and the energy used to manufacture it is renewable, so it is a 100% clean fuel.

Synthetic fuels are born as a real alternative to the problems of limitation in the autonomy of current batteries given their higher energy density. If a manufacturing process is found that allows such synthetic fuels to be developed without high costs, combustion engines could become totally carbon neutral.

Speaking in numbers, the net result could be a reduction of 2.8 gigatons of CO2 in Europe by 2050. And best of all, e-Fuels can be used in multiple applications.

Obtaining synthetic fuel

For the manufacturing method, CO2 is captured rather than released. To create e-Fuels, the greenhouse gas itself acts as a raw material. The first step is to acquire hydrogen from water, separating them using the electrolysis technique.

Subsequently, coal is added to generate a liquid fuel. Said carbon can be obtained either through its recycling in industrial processes or by capturing it from the air thanks to special filters. When we combine hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) we obtain synthetic fuel (methane), which can be gasoline, diesel, gas and even kerosene.

Additionally, these fuels can be designed to burn the mixture without generating soot, which reduces the costs of treating the exhaust gases. And like fossil fuels, it can be transported and stored safely and for long periods of time, taking advantage of the current distribution and storage network.

Future of synthetic fuels

Currently, some pilot projects are already underway to commercialize synthetic diesel, gasoline and natural gas in Norway and Germany, although Bosch has wanted to make it clear that considerable efforts must be made before synthetic fuels are fully established, since creating the facilities of Synthetic fuel processing involves a large outlay.

Currently, producing e-Fuel on a large scale is inefficient because barely half of the electrical energy invested is used, and this energy must be completely renewable (hydroelectric, solar, wind or nuclear energy) for it to be neutral in carbon.

Unlike what happens with biofuels, if renewable energies are used for their manufacture, synthetic fuels can be produced without the volume limitations expected with biofuels due to factors such as the space available for their production. or deforestation.

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