‘Sunfire’ Converts Water & Air Into E-diesel in Dresden…!!!
Are You Kidding..? No…..! Germany’s top luxury car-maker Audi has started working with this technology which can turn water & air into fuel aka E-diesel. This diesel fuel is made from water & carbon-dioxide in the air. It uses only natural energy sources such as solar & wind power. German Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka became the first user to fill the e-diesel in her Audi A8.
The invention of the eco-diesel is a breakthrough in attaining the goal of sustainable alternative fuel for automotive engines. Thus, it will make a big impact on the contentious issue of climate change in the future. Automotive giant Audi seems to have taken the initiative to accomplish this goal by backing the e-diesel project.
Furthermore, Audi has set up a state-of-the-art plant in collaboration with a start-up company ‘Sunfire’. It has a capacity to produce about 160 liters a day of e-diesel. Audi named the e-diesel as ‘blue-crude’ which the company produced by using renewable energy sources in a three-stage process.
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Stage 1
In the first stage, the company produces renewable energy from natural sources such as wind, solar and hydro-power. Using a process known as ‘reversible-electrolysis’, this energy then splits water into oxygen and pure hydrogen and releases the oxygen into the atmosphere.
H2O → Hydrogen + Oxygen↑
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Stage 2
Stage 2 involves two chemical processes. Firstly, it extracts carbon-monoxide from carbon-dioxide. Then in the second process, it mixes the hydrogen with carbon monoxide.
CO2 → Carbon Monoxide + Oxygen↑
Then, it produces a crude liquid named the ‘blue-crude’ by the chemical reaction between hydrogen & Carbon-monoxide.
Hydrogen + Carbon Monoxide → Hydro-Carbon (Crude-Liquid)
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Stage 3
Stage-3 then further refines the crude-liquid. Thus, it removes impurities to create synthetic diesel or the eco-diesel.
Crude-Liquid → Refinery = E-diesel (Synthetic diesel)
According to Audi, it currently uses the carbon-dioxide in the process supplied by a biogas facility. However, it also captures some of the CO2 directly from the air reducing the effect of greenhouse gas on the atmosphere.
‘Sunfire’ claims that the properties of the synthetic e-diesel are superior to the normal diesel. Thus, it results in the smooth running of the engine. As it does not contain the harmful sulfur and fossil-based oils, eco-diesel is more environmental-friendly. The overall energy efficiency of the fuel using renewable power is around 70 percent. Additionally, you can mix the eco-diesel with the conventional diesel fuel according to Audi.
The expected market price for the synthetic-diesel could be from 1 to 1.5 Euros per liter depending on the price of electricity. At this price, the e-diesel is just a little bit expensive than the prevailing price of diesel in Europe. However, it could be cheaper in the future if mass-produced.
Thus, in the future, we will run our cars on cleaner Eco-diesel made from Water & Air by using Sun & Wind. And Hopefully, No More Wars for Fossil Fuels…..!!!
Note: All Images (Source & Courtesy: Sunfire)
Watch Sunfire E-diesel Video Here:
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