{"id":5044,"date":"2011-07-31T13:32:41","date_gmt":"2011-07-31T17:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/?p=5044"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:46:53","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:46:53","slug":"the-road-to-a-solar-powered-future-is-paved-with-natural-gas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/the-road-to-a-solar-powered-future-is-paved-with-natural-gas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road To a Solar-Powered Future is Paved With Natural Gas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
Byron Elton, CEO<\/figcaption><\/figure>Natural gas has been getting a lot of bad press recently because of the fracking (\u00e2\u20ac\u02dchydraulic fracturing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122) debacle. The problem is that this method of gas drilling is riddled with controversy and real environmental risks. Gasland<\/em>, an Oscar-nominated documentary about fracking<\/a>, brought to the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention how people living near fracking sites had their water poisoned.<\/p>\n


\nBut there are companies with cleaner ideas for natural gas. One of them is Carbon Sciences<\/a>, a Santa Barbara, California outfit who is developing a technology to make gasoline and other types of fuel from natural gas and carbon dioxide. The process is a variation on the Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids (GTL) process. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s better, it could be cost competitive with crude oil at US$80.<\/p>\n

The company says its mission is to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153enable the nations of the world to reduce their dependence on petroleum by cost effectively using natural gas and CO2 to produce cleaner and greener liquid fuels for immediate use in the existing transportation infrastructure.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A noble mission, indeed.<\/p>\n

Carbon Sciences recently announced it has entered a strategic partnership to bring its technology to market. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153After a significant amount of testing, we have developed the key catalyst that the energy industry has been searching for. It is a catalyst for the dry reforming of methane (CH4) from natural gas and carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce synthetic gas (syngas). After productive discussions with potential strategic partners, our business model is now clear\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, CEO Byron Elton told Energy Refuge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Byron has a reason to celebrate as there are several potential clients to apply his company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s technology, which requires less energy and reduces CO2 emissions as well. Byron takes a pragmatic approach to energy. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are the alternative forms of energy, especially transport energy? The days of getting cheap oil are over. We need clean and abundant fuel\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he said.<\/p>\n

Carbon Sciences envisages possibilities to work with existing facilities around the world that currently produce syngas and which currently employ more costly methods of reforming methane (steam, auto-thermal or partial oxidation). It says these plants produce substantial quantities of troublesome \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tail gas\u00e2\u20ac\u009d containing methane and CO2 that must be separated and recycled or otherwise disposed of safely and ecologically. With the help of its technology, it notes, this tail gas can be economically transformed into additional valuable syngas.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Out technology is very compelling in comparison with crude oil. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much cleaner to begin with. We actually use CO2 in the process of dry reforming. The biggest challenge has always been to find the right catalyst, which we have found. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve carried out tests in Canada and the U.S., which have proven the catalyst produces the same product. And it is cheaper\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, added Byron.<\/p>\n

It all sounds great but when is it going to be available? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In three to five years, which in this business is the blink of an eye\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he replied. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be producing fuel before five years but on a large scale that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how long it would take.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty of gas in the southeast and northwest of the United States. In places like Malaysia there are great reserves, which have not been tapped so far because of their high concentration of CO2. <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The challenge with natural gas is how much CO2 is in it. For the people who are harvesting it, the lower the concentration, the better. 20% is the top. Our technology can handle a concentration of up to 50%\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to use fracking.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

OK, so natural gas is a transition fuel that can be extracted fairly cleanly and help us mitigate carbon emissions. But it will probably run out, too, at some point. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Probably the solution to all this is solar power<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, said Byron. However, he points out, natural gas is probably the best bet to take us to that stage when solar can meet our energy needs.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Do you think gas, if harvested with clean and safe methods, can help us produce energy in a sustainable and reliable way? Chip in …<\/em><\/p>\n

You should follow us here<\/a>.<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Related Posts:<\/h3>