How to calculate price of artificial oil

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of the price of artificial gasoline produced from CO2 and hydrogen, as described in a video. Participants explore the feasibility and cost implications of this fuel production method, focusing on engineering calculations and economic viability.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions how to calculate the approximate price of artificial gasoline derived from CO2 and hydrogen, as mentioned in a video.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the topic should focus on the cost of the fuel, not on free energy claims.
  • A participant references previous discussions indicating that fuel cell cars using hydrogen from electrolysis are not economical, suggesting that the proposed method may also be costly.
  • Concerns are raised about the high costs associated with CO2 capture, with a reference suggesting that capturing CO2 from the air could be significantly more expensive than from fossil power plant exhausts.
  • There is speculation about the potential inflation of cost-saving claims related to CO2 avoidance, noting the absence of published calculations from the claimants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the economic viability of the proposed artificial gasoline production method, with multiple competing views regarding its feasibility and cost implications remaining unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of published engineering calculations to support the claims made in the video, as well as uncertainties regarding the actual costs of CO2 capture and the economic comparisons to existing fuel sources.

Tiger Blood
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I was watching this video about a company that has a device which sucks CO2 out of air, mixes carbon with hydrogen from water and makes fuel for cars


They say that it can power cars even better that gasoline you get from crude oil and that it costs the same, but is there a way I can do some calculations to get some approximate price of that artificial gasoline?
 
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That video is a substandard reference for PF, but your question is a good one so I'll allow it.

The topic is not free energy. It is a fuel obtained at a cost. Please confine answers to the cost.

Edit: it would be most helpful if someone can find a published paper including engineering calculations for that claimed fuel.
 
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See previous PF threads on related topics.
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/is-this-another-hydrogen-vehicle-scam.940158/#post-5944468
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/water-as-a-fuel-in-cars.144105/
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/water-for-fuel.745406/#post-4701066
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/water-power-in-a-slightly-different-sense.731465/#post-4621858

The general conclusion is that fuel cell cars powered by O2 from air plus H from electrolysis is not economical.

This scheme adds to that by substituting CO2 for the O2. I found this reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/energy...-for-reducing-u-s-co2-emissions/#4258438c6482 that puts the cost for CO2 capture from fossil power plant exhausts at about $50/MWh. Capturing it from the air would be 100x (?) more expensive. So this scheme is far more expensive than a simpler scheme which itself is uneconomical.

It would be great to see a paper published by the claimants so that we could check their calculations. I suspect that they make it sound good by assigning a wildly inflated value to avoiding more CO2 in the atmosphere. But that's just speculation because we can't see the source.
 
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