A representative from Carbon Sciences, a chemical engineering company based in Santa Barbara, Calif., said mainstream recycling of carbon dioxide emissions into gasoline could be a reality in five years, Forbes reported.
Byron Elton, the CEO and president of Carbon Sciences, told Forbes that his company is in discussions with major oil companies regarding the technology.
Carbon dioxide emissions result from the burning of petroleum, coal and natural gas. With growing environmental standards, there is an interest in keeping carbon dioxide emissions to a minimum. Instead of capturing and burying the carbon, Elton proposed using those releases to create "syngas," which could then be converted into transportation fuels.
"While you can achieve the goal of making 'syngas,' using carbon to do so is not now commercially viable because it is still too expensive," Elton told Forbes. "We are in the process of commercializing this, and we have a better-than-even chance of proving this out. It would be a real game-changer."
Under Elton's plan, his company would build recycling facilities next to coal and natural gas plants, capturing the emissions and converting it into gasoline. The process would prevent carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere while producing a usable form of energy.
With experts predicting a 35% increase in global carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, a viable carbon recycling system would be a welcome environmental boon.
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