Audi has partnered with US fuel specialists, Joule, and is now turning water in to petrol and diesel.
A model of the Audi Joule demonstration plant Image: Audi |
The apparently unlikely science is the modern equivalent of alchemy, except that turning water into the fuel equivalent of gold has been proven with physical evidence.
Since partnering with Joule in 2011 and acquiring the automotive patents of the company's biofuel technology, Audi scientists have been collaborating with the Joule team to develop the science.
The fuel is created using genetically modified micro-organisms stagnant water which is held in pipes - currently sited in a demonstration plant in a desert in New Mexico.
The organisms, which measure just three thousandths of a millimetre in diameter, are modified so that the energy taken from the photosynthesis process, normally use to multiply, is instead turned into coverting CO2 and other elements in the waste water into liquid fuel.Once converted, the fuel is secreted by the organisms.
The secretions are separated from the water into a concentrate which requires no further refining to be used as fuel. The product can, according to the scientists, be blended with as little as 15% of fossil fuel to create Audi's e-ethanol and can be used by vehicle engines able to run on E85 fuel.
Apparently, the fuel is so pure that it can be manufactured as e-diesel without any need for sulphur or aromatics. However, it still retains a high cetane value, giving it easy ignition and high, clean performance properties.
Currently, Audi and Joule are only producing a limited amount of the water-based Audi e-ethanol petrol and diesel at the demonstration facility. However, both companies are hoping the new science can quickly be developed into large scale production for the auto industry.