Solar-to-Fuel Technology: Nature Concept Reverses Global Warming

An Energy-Related Essay Written By Tahrizi Andana

Our world is currently engulfed in serious problems which are resulted from the global climate
change. Average temperature of the surface of the biosphere has been increasing in an alarming rate,
causing numerous ecological troubles, such as the depletion of icebergs in south pole and mountains and
the decline of the living hopes for many creatures. This climate change becomes the result of the
incremental emission of carbon dioxide, which covers the stratosphere and retains the heat from solar rays,
thus increases the temperature of earth. Emission of carbon dioxide is mainly becoming the concern of
chemical and power plants over the world because of their stack activities. The oil and gas exploration and
production companies are also responsible for this emission as well, since numerous contents of carbon
dioxide are also extracted along with the gas and oil.
Formerly, excessive amounts of carbon dioxide from industrial and resource extraction activities
were allowed to be released directly to the atmosphere. As strict regulations are issued by environmental
experts, the carbon dioxide is now re-injected to the oil or gas well. However, this seemingly brilliant project
turns out to require the company to provide distinctively abundant budget in order to build the recycling
system. Aside from the monetary aspects, this carbon dioxide recycling method also needs to consider
complicated structure system in order to adapt the existing well so the expeditious extraction process can
be done smoothly. Furthermore, the significantly high pressure in the well must also be compensated by
the proper selection of equipment to prevent operational failure. Therefore, it can be concluded that these
efforts are proven to be too risky, which leads to inevitable inefficiency.
Aside with the carbon dioxide recycling to its original source, experts also try to find a greener
technology through the efforts of synthetising biofuel from a very vast range of vegetations, such as
jatropha and cassava. This attempt deserves worthy appraisal because of its key concept of utilising
renewable resources. However, it still requires reconsideration, regarding that most of the worldwide
populations are still suffering from famine. This idea will create conflicts between those who are responsible
for providing energy and those who are responsible for feeding millions, or even billions, of people in the
world. Furthermore, researches show that the enhancement of fuel production resulted from this method
cannot actually compensate the escalating demand of energy.
Another alternative of solving this carbon dioxide problem can be sought by observing nature’s
self-providing energy production system. A simple example to be observed is the photosynthesis in plant
leaves. From only two single compounds, namely carbon dioxide and water, and the assistance of sunlight,
a plant can outstandingly produce a complex compound as its energy source, which is glucose, and also
befriend the atmosphere by providing fresh oxygen. This phenomenon can provide a lesson of how plants
are able to fulfill their own energy necessities without inflicting harm on human or animal life. This is the
essential concept that many experts seem to be unaware of. This brilliant concept develops into a new idea
of producing energy from the so-called “simple compounds” plus the assistance of sunlight. What makes
this concept different from the nature concept is the goal type of energy. Glucose cannot be utilised for
engine or power plant fuels, so then “methanol” or “dimethyl-ether” is introduced as the alternative product.
Consequently, let us apply this novel idea to simulate a new plant design. Firstly, we need to
provide carbon dioxide and water as the raw materials. Water is an easily-found resource in this world,
regarding its superabundant amount on sea or ocean, whilst carbon dioxide, the major problem of
nowadays, are largely contained within air. Other viable sources of carbon dioxide include chemical plants
stacks and flares, and also oil and gas production facilities. Secondly, we need to let carbon dioxide react
with water to produce either methanol or DME. Unfortunately, in reality, carbon dioxide - water reaction
does not undergo spontaneously. Therefore, we need to add an electricity element to provide sufficient
conditions of an electrolysis reaction. Supplying electricity does not necessarily require fossil fuel energy
sources. Instead, as plants usually apply, solar energy will supply the energy necessity of the process.
Sunlight will be exposed to solar thermal cell to collect the heat which will be required for water
vapourisation. The produced vapour will be supplied to the power generator to enable steam turbine to
generate electricity. This green electrical energy will be further utilised to electrolyse water. Since the water
will be supplied from the sea, purification processes are also necessary in order to avert problems caused
by salts and other minerals.
The next step is the electrolysis of water that produces hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the
anode. Carbon dioxide, which is located along the cathode, will also be reduced into carbon monoxide. This
reaction yields synthetic gas, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The second reaction then occurs, in which
carbon monoxide easily reacts with hydrogen, producing methanol. Methanol is chosen as the goal of end
product because it has a very high octane number and high latent heat of vaporization, which is about 3.7
times higher than gasoline. Another possible product is dimethyl-ether (DME), which is more calorific than
methanol and also has a high cetane number, which is about 55-60, compared to 40-55 conventional diesel
fuel. After obtaining methanol, DME can also be obtained by dehydrating methanol in a high temperature
(about 365 °C) using certain catalyst. This idea actually reverses the ongoing paradigm that focuses
primarily on seeking the clean fuel to produce intangible and untransportable electricity rather than
harnessing electricity to produce tangible and transportable fuel.
This solar-to-fuel idea is unlikely applicable for today, however, as engineers, we need to think of
possible ideas to implement at the future, at least for five or ten years from now. By applying this idea, we
do not only produce the energy but also reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide exposure to air. Indirectly
speaking, this idea tries to reverse the occuring global warming process by utilising carbon dioxide to
produce energy instead of emitting it to the air. Conclusively, it is important to know that a possible answer
of a problem does not necessarily come from the complex things. We just need to observe the nature that
surrounds us, which has been providing shelter and nourishment to humankind, in order to bring the best
solution of humanity and ecology.