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lead section =Production= Carbon neutral fuels are synthetic hydrocarbons. They can be produced in chemical reactions between Carbon dioxide, which can be captured from power plants or the air, and hydrogen, which is created by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy. The fuel, often referred to as electrofuel, stores the energy that was used in the production of the Hydrogen. It has also been suggested that coal power could be used to produce the hydrogen. The Carbon dioxide produced could be captured and buried, making the power effectively Carbon neutral, although not renewable. Existing hydrocarbons could also be broken down to produce Hydrogen and Carbon dioxide. The Carbon dioxide could then be stored and the Hydrogen used for energy or fuel, making it effectively carbon neutral as well. The most energy efficient fuel to produce is methanol, which is made in the chemical reaction of a Carbon dioxide molecule with three Hydrogen molecules to produce methanol and water. As with all of these fuels, the energy can be recovered by burning the fuel in a combustion engine, releasing Carbon dioxide, water, and heat. Methane can be produced in a similar reaction. More energy can be used to combine methanol or methane into larger molecules. Researchers have also suggested using Methane to produce Dimethyl ether. This fuel could be used as a substitute for diesel fuel due to its ability to self ignite under high pressure and temperature. It is already being used in some areas for heating and energy generation. It is nontoxic, but must be stored under pressure. Octane and Ethanol can also be produced from Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen. All synthetic hydrocarbons are generally produced at temperatures of 200 to 300 degrees C, and at pressures of 20 to 50 bar. Catalysts are normally used to improve the efficiency of the reaction and create the desired type of Hydrocarbon. The reactions are exothermic and use about 3mol of Hydrogen per mole of Carbon dioxide involved. They also produce large amounts of water as a byproduct.

=Sources of carbon for recycling= Direct air capture is less developed than other methods. Proposals for this method involve using a caustic chemical to react with Carbon dioxide in the air to produce carbonates. These can then be broken down and hydrated to release pure CO2 gas and regenerate the caustic chemical. This process requires more energy than other methods because Carbon dioxide is at much lower concentrations in the atmosphere than in other sources. Researchers have also suggested using biomass as the Carbon for fuel production. Adding Hydrogen to the biomass would reduce the Carbon and produce fuel. This method has the advantage of using plants to cheaply capture CO2. The plants also add some chemical energy to the fuel in biological molecules. This may be a more efficient use of biomass than conventional biofuel because it uses most of the Carbon and chemical energy from the biomass instead of releasing much of that energy and Carbon in the process of converting the plants to fuel. Its main disadvantage is that, as with conventional ethanol production, it competes with food production

=Renewable and nuclear energy costs=

=Demonstration projects and commercial development= The navy has investigated the possibility of producing synthetic jet fuel using nuclear power on aircraft carriers.

=Greenhouse gas remediation= It is believed that carbon neutral fuels would lead to greenhouse gas remediation because CO2 gas would be reused to produce fuel instead of being released into the atmosphere. Capturing the Carbon dioxide in flue gas emissions from power plants would eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions, although burning the fuel in vehicles would release that Carbon because there is no economical way to capture those emissions. This approach would reduce net Carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% if it were used on all fossil fuel power plants. Capturing CO2 directly from the air, extracting Carbolic acid from seawater, or producing fuel from biomass would reduce the amount of Carbon dioxide in the environment, which would create a closed cycle of carbon and eliminate new Carbon dioxide emissions. Use of these methods would eliminate the need for fossil fuels entirely, assuming that enough renewable energy could be generated to produce the fuel. Using synthetic hydrocarbons to produce synthetic materials such as plastics would result in permanent sequestration of Carbon from the atmosphere.

=Traditional fuels or methanol= It is a liquid at normal temperatures and is only toxic if ingested in large amounts. It has a higher octane rating than gasoline. It can be mixed with other fuels or used on its own. It is also used in the production of more complex hydrocarbons and polymers. Direct Methanol fuel cells have been developed by Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to convert methanol and oxygen into electricity. It is possible to convert Methanol into gasoline, jet fuel or other hydrocarbons in other reactions, but this will require more energy usage and more complex production facilities.

=History= =References=