Scientists Develop Method to Turn Airborne Carbon into Jet Fuel

Did you know that airplanes significantly contribute to air pollution and global warming? The primary culprit is fuel combustion during flight and the resultant emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A new paper published in the scientific journal "NATURE" proposes a groundbreaking yet straightforward method of extracting carbon dioxide from the air into an aircraft, where it is directly converted into fuel during flight. This method represents a significant solution to the climate crisis.

Converting carbon dioxide into jet fuel is a complex task and has been considered too costly until now. Researchers at Oxford University have developed an iron-based catalyst that offers an affordable way to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into fuel. This catalyst also includes other chemicals that can work together at a relatively low temperature of 300 degrees.

The authors of the paper also managed to gather additional raw materials for the chemical industry during the conversion process. These materials are currently only available from crude oil but will now be produced alongside carbon dioxide extraction using the new method. Essentially, it's "mining" carbon dioxide from the air along with an abundance of volatile natural resources that can create various petrochemical products.

"The progress reported here deviates from today's standard production-consumption-emission model," write the inventors whose paper was published in Nature, "The vision is zero carbon dioxide emissions from aviation, leading to a significant reduction in air pollution and alleviation of the climate crisis."

In simple terms: when carbon dioxide is not released back into the air during fuel combustion but instead generates additional fuel, aviation's impact on global air pollution will diminish, and planes will contribute to creating a greener, healthier world, rather than the opposite.