A New Era for eFuels
Recently, Porsche and Siemens Energy have announced their entry into the eFuel industry with an aim to initially manufacture 130,000 liters a year starting in 2022.
eFuel
- eFuel is a type of electro fuel that is formed from a complex hydrocarbon.
- In this, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen using wind-generated electricity. Hydrogen is then mixed with carbon dioxide, and the mixture is filtered from the air to form methanol.
- Methanol is then converted to gasoline using ExxonMobil Catalysts and Technology Licensing. Once the fuel is manufactured, it can be used in any car.
- It is to be noted that gasoline is a liquid mixture obtained from petroleum. It is used as a fuel in the internal combustion engine.
- The technology for producing eFuel is very expensive; its cost of production is $ 10 per liter. In the future, this cost is expected to come to $ 2 per liter.
Electro Fuels
Electro fuel is a new class of carbon neutral fuel also known as synthetic fuel. This fuel is being seen as an alternative to biofuels. These are formed by storing electrical energy from renewable sources.
Other ElectroFuels
Audi is working on the manufacture of E-gasoline or E-benzin is a synthetic fuel. It is a liquid “Iso-octane” fuel, which is carbon-neutral. In addition, E-gasoline is free of sulfur and benzene.
Biofuels
- Biofuels are combustible fuels produced from biomass that mainly consists of ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is an alcohol and biodiesel is like oil.
- It differs from fuels produced by geological processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels (coal and petroleum).
- Biofuels can be obtained directly from plants (i.e., energy crops), or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and industrial waste.
Source – The Hindu
