Americas News
U.S. Navy Researching Fuel from Seawater
The U.S. Navy is working to develop a method of producing synthetic fuel from seawater, bypassing the need to buy petroleum-based fuel, U.S. magazine the National Journal reports.
"If they made fuel at sea, they wouldn't be buying it," said researcher Heather Willauer of the Naval Research Laboratory.
The process uses a three-chambered cell to extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen from the seawater and then converts the gases into reactive compounds known as olefins using an iron-based catalyst.
Those compounds can then be converted into a liquid containing hydrocarbon molecules, which can be processed into jet fuel.
The researchers can now produce up to one litre per day of fuel, and they are working to improve the efficiency of the process, which now uses a great deal of energy to extract the hydrogen.
The jet fuel made from seawater would cost between $3 and $6 per gallon to produce.
"You would have a set price for fuel," Willauer said.
"You don't have to worry about foreign markets and this idea that fuel is going to run out."
In addition to helping the Navy reduce its environmental footprint, the technology could also allow ships to refuel faster and more safely.
Willauer said the seawater-based fuel could be commercially viable in 10 to 15 years.
The Navy has been working toward a reduction in its use of petroleum-based fuels with technologies including biofuels.
