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BGU Researchers Develop a New “Green” Crude Oil

BGU Researchers Develop a New “Green” Crude Oil

November 20, 2013

Alternative Energy, Press Releases

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, November 20, 2013 – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have developed an innovative process to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into a renewable alternative for crude oil, which could transform fuels used in gas- and diesel-powered vehicles and jets.

The “green feed” crude oil can be refined into renewable liquid fuels using established technologies and can be transported by existing infrastructure to gas stations. The highly efficient advance is made possible in part through the use of nanomaterials that significantly reduce the amount of energy required in the catalytic process to make the crude oil.

“We can now use zero cost resources, carbon dioxide, water, energy from the sun, and combine them to get real fuels,” said BGU’s Prof. Moti Hershkowitz, presenting the new renewable fuel process at the Bloomberg Fuel Choices Summit in Tel Aviv on November 13. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen are two of the most common elements available on earth.

“Ethanol (alcohol), biodiesel and/or blends of these fuels with conventional fuels are far from ideal,” Hershkowitz explains. “There is a pressing need for a game-changing approach to produce alternative, drop-in, liquid transportation fuels by sustainable, technologically viable and environmentally acceptable emissions processes from abundant, low-cost, renewable materials.

“BGU has filed the patents and we are ready to demonstrate and commercialize it. Since there are no foreseen technological barriers, the new process could become a reality within five to 10 years,” he adds. The BGU crude oil process produces hydrogen from water, which is mixed with carbon dioxide captured from external sources and synthetic gas (syngas).

This green feed mixture is placed into a reactor that contains a nano-structured solid catalyst, also developed at BGU, to produce an organic liquid and gas. Prof. Moti Herskowitz is the Israel Cohen Chair in Chemical Engineering and the vice president and dean of research and development at BGU.

He led the team that also includes Prof. Miron Landau, Dr. Roxana Vidruk and others at BGU’s Blechner Center for Industrial Catalysis and Process Development. The Blechner Center, founded in 1995, has the infrastructure and expertise required to deal with a wide variety of challenging topics related to basic and applied aspects of catalysis and catalytic processes.

This was accomplished with major funding from various sources that include science foundations, industrial partners and individual donors such as the late Norbert Blechner. Researchers at the Blechner Center have also developed a novel process for converting vegetable and algae oils to advanced green diesel and jet fuels, as well as a novel process for producing zero-sulfur diesel.

“Ben-Gurion University’s Blechner Center has been at the forefront of alternative fuel research and development, working with major American oil and automotive companies for more than 20 years,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president, American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

“We applaud these new developments and BGU’s focus on giving the world new technologies for more efficient, renewable fuel alternatives.”

This project is partially supported by I-SAEF (Israel Strategic Alternative Energy Foundation).

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

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