Transportation is responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s direct carbon emissions from fuel combustion, which must be reduced to meet climate targets. While sales of emissions-free electric vehicles are increasing, decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors like shipping, trucking and aviation remains a challenge.
But electrofuels could offer a way to decarbonize heavy transportation, as a net zero drop-in replacement for traditional fuels like diesel and gasoline.
Infinium, an electrofuels solution provider in Sacramento, California, has invented a process to turn CO2 into carbon-free synthetic fuel. The infographic below illustrates how the process converts renewable energy into green hydrogen, which is combined with carbon dioxide captured from heavy industry processes to produce net zero fuels.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund are among Infinium’s investors, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has expressed his support for electrofuels.
“The fuels and chemicals Infinium produce have the same specifications as today’s jet fuels or diesels for long-haul and marine transportation,” says Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle. “But they’re produced using CO2 emissions that would otherwise form greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”
Electrofuels technology,” he adds, “could allow organizations, nations or entire regions to move away from fossil fuels and meet carbon reduction targets faster.”