Motoring Discussion > Be nice if this is true Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Robin O'Reliant Replies: 5
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 10:53 
 Be nice if this is true - Robin O'Reliant
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-the-scientists-who-turned-fresh-air-into-petrol-8217382.html
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 10:58 
 Be nice if this is true - Alanovich
"Although the process is still in the early developmental stages and needs to take electricity from the national grid to work"

Next.

:-(
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 11:20 
 Be nice if this is true - DP
This was covered on Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

Their conclusion was that the fundamentals, including the basic chemistry is sound, but that the energy yield from the resulting petrol will be a fraction of the energy required to produce it.

Perhaps when powered by a large scale, efficient renewable energy sources, it may have an application. In general terms though, forget it.
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 11:35 
 Be nice if this is true - WillDeBeest
Remember that nature cracked storing solar energy by combining water with atmospheric CO2 millions of years ago. But it's already apparent that growing plants to convert into vehicle fuel isn't viable on the scale that would be required, so this new conversion process would have to be orders of magnitude more efficient than photosynthesis, and that doesn't seem very likely.
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 11:36 
 Be nice if this is true - Old Navy
Maybe more hope with this.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19785689
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New Fri 19 Oct 12 12:51 
 Be nice if this is true - oilburner
Today's xkcd seems quite timely with this article in mind:

www.xkcd.com/

(remember to mouse over the image...)
Last edited by: oilburner on Fri 19 Oct 12 at 12:51
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