Converting Carbon Dioxide into Jet Fuel

 

Despite the dire predictions of climate change, carbon dioxide emissions are continuing to increase at a rate of ~1.3% per year. The greatest percentage of emissions arise from transportation where fossil fuels (hydrocarbons) are burned to provide fuel for cars, airplanes, and other vehicles.

 

Efforts to convert carbon dioxide into fuel and other valuable chemicals have generally been hindered by the chemical stability of carbon dioxide which causes it to have low reactivity. Furthermore, when hydrocarbons have been synthesized from carbon dioxide, they tend to be short-chain rather than long-chain which can be problematic as fuels are generally comprised of long-chain hydrocarbons. These reactions also often require multiple steps or rely on catalysts that require expensive or significant amounts of resources to make which hampers their widespread implementation.

These limitations were recently overcome, however, by researchers at Oxford who created a catalyst (pictured below) comprised of iron, manganese, and potassium that was able to transform carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons in high yields. This catalyst preferentially made C5+ hydrocarbons which puts the products in the range of jet fuel. Furthermore, the preparation of the catalyst is fairly simple and saves both energy and time in comparison to other preparations. This remarkable discovery creates the long-chain hydrocarbons required for fuel while also remaining cost-effective which indicates that it could be used to help recycle emissions into jet fuel on a larger scale.

Conversions such as this one from carbon dioxide into jet fuel could one day be a part of what is known as the Circular Economy (shown as b in the image below), a concept that envisions carbon recycling in part through carbon dioxide conversion. We currently use the Linear Economy (shown as a in the image below) where resources are used and disposed of, however, the Circular Economy views emissions like carbon dioxide as a resource to be recirculated. The Circular Economy has numerous benefits including the conservation of natural resources, preservation of the environment, and economic growth and advancements such as this will help immensely in achieving this environmentally friendly economy.

Sources:

Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 6395. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20214-z

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-iron-based-catalyst-converts-carbon-dioxide-into-jet-fuel

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#:~:text=The%20largest%20source%20of%20greenhouse,electricity%2C%20heat%2C%20and%20transportation.&text=Approximately%2063%20percent%20of%20our,mostly%20coal%20and%20natural%20gas

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165237018310878#:~:text=Aviation%20or%20jet%20fuel%20is,compounds%20%5B2%2C3%5D.&text=The%20aromatic%20hydrocarbons%20in%20the,%E2%80%9325%25%20%5B2%5D

https://www.southernwings.co.nz/the-effects-of-wind-on-aircraft/