奧迪用“空氣和水”合成新燃料
German Car Manufacturer Audi Creates Fuel From Air And Water
奧迪用“空氣和水”合成新燃料
Creating an alternative green or carbon neutral fuel to replace gasoline has been the holy grail for scientists for many years. However, while there has been some progress with inventions like electric batteries and biofuel, most options are either too expensive or not commercially viable to compete effectively with the fossil fuel. Now automobile manufacturer Audi is stepping up to the challenge with a fuel made from carbon dioxide and water.
研究出環保且碳中性的燃料來代替汽油，一直被看做是科學界的聖盃。然而，雖然最近在蓄電池和生物燃料領域有些許進步，有些原材料還是因爲過於昂貴或者不具商業價值，難敵化石燃料。奧迪公司現在正加快腳步，挑戰一種由二氧化碳和水合成的新燃料。
Called e-diesel, the fuel developed in collaboration with Dresden-based Sunfire, was created in a lab using a simple but innovative technique. The scientists began by boiling water to temperatures exceeding 800°C (1,472°) using a renewable source of energy like solar, wind or hydropower. The resulting steam was decomposed into its two constituents, hydrogen and oxygen with the help of electrolysis. The researchers then transformed the carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide were piped into a reactor and subjected to extreme pressure and temperatures, to produce what scientists call long-chain hydrocarbons. This liquid that Audi refers to as "blue crude" was then refined in a similar way to standard crude oil to produce e-diesel.
這種叫e-diesel的燃料是奧迪公司與德國Dresden工廠的Sunfire公司聯合開發的，用的是一種簡單但是先進的技術。科學家們先要利用太陽能或風能等綠色能源把水加熱至800°C (1,472°)，而後把產生的蒸汽電解爲氫氣和氧氣。然後，在把二氧化碳轉化爲一氧化碳。接下來，他們把氫氣與二氧化碳在高壓和高溫下混合，生成一種名爲“blue crude”的燃料。最後再提煉這種燃料，方法類似於把化石燃料煉成汽油。
While most of the CO2 used in the production of e-diesel comes from a biogas facility, it also absorbs some from the surroundings, helping remove the harmful greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
雖然生產e-diesel所需的二氧化碳來自沼氣生產設施，有些也可以來自環境，這樣就可以幫助減少溫室氣體。
E- diesel is certainly not the first attempt at making carbon neutral fuel, and it will by no means be the last. However, the development is certainly a step in the right direction for clean energy. As Johanna Wanka, Germany's minister of education and research states, "If we can make widespread use of CO2 as a raw material, we will make a crucial contribution to climate protection and the efficient use of resources, and put the fundamentals of the 'green economy' in place."
E-diesel絕不是人們對製造碳中性燃料的第一次嘗試，也絕不會是最後一次。然而，這絕對是潔淨能源探索歷程中對的一步。德國聯邦教育及研究部部長Johanna Wanka評論稱，如果可以廣泛使用二氧化碳作爲原料，就會對環保和節能做出重要貢獻，爲打造綠色經濟奠定基礎。
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