Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.
- Fossil Fuels: The Great Hoax. Interesting theory and if true could make lab made synthetic oil possible too.
- From the archives: Farnam Street on how to do great things.
- Make the best sausage possible.
- Ross Dellenger on Texas Tech: Texas, oil, and football. Long but interesting read.
I'm sure hydrocarbons can be created in a lab but there are two hurdles to overcome before you fill people's fuel tanks. First what is energy input/output ratio? If it takes more energy to make than is produced it isn't profitable unless your input energy is super cheap and hydrocarbons are expensive. Second, can it produce millions of barrels or cubic meters?
ReplyDeleteA country without oil such as Japan could build a micro reactor next door to a synthetic fuel plant to reduce dependence on imports.
Al_in_Ottawa
Seems to me the immense pressure needed would be the limiting factor - so wouldn't that point to possible deep sea or space?
ReplyDeleteBut as you point out - nuclear may be the most feasible and EV cars could have their batteries filled by electricity created by reactors.