Green Technology to Produce Blue Fuel – Fountain of Black Gold or Sea of Red Ink?

The Spanish company, Bio Fuels Systems (BFS,) has developed a process for the creation of “blue” petroleum, synthetic oil, based on photosynthesis of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria (autotrophic organisms that use the photosynthetic processes) combined with CO₂ from a nearby cement factory.  The photosynthesis takes place in giant green tubes.  The product is filtered and concentrated in the form of a biomass that then is processed to make dimethyl ether, or “blue fuel.”    

The “blue fuel” process is derived from technology that has been in existence since the 1920’s.  The use of recycled CO₂ is a newer concept, however.  Blue fuel can be used as a replacement for diesel, with minor mechanical modifications.  Dimethyl ether can, then, be converted to gasoline via dehydration over a zeolite catalyst bed.

A BFS spokesman said, “We are trying to simulate the conditions which existed millions of years ago, when the phytoplankton was transformed into oil.”  This is a key statement, as most synthetic fuel products are a result of an attempt to mimic Mother Nature.  In most cases, the process is energy intensive, so money is not saved.  In addition, as in the case of blue fuel as a diesel replacement, mechanical modifications to the engines to accommodate the new fuel must be made.  Sometimes, the entire fuel delivery infrastructure must be replaced – as in the case of hydrogen propelled vehicles.

We, ultimately, come back to the question of cost.  If we are merely reproducing what Mother Nature has done (with CO₂ being in play as the key part of an ongoing climate change debate,) then it will always be cheaper and simpler to exploit the reserves that we know exist and are blocked, by political fiat, from searching for and recovering.  When the BFS process is ready for full-scale production in 5 to 10 years (by BFS estimates,) it will be important to run a financial analysis, in addition to the requisite energy balance, to see if “blue fuel” will become a fountain of black gold or a sea of red ink.