The article From CO2: This system produces 4 liters of gasoline per day first appeared in the online magazine BASIC thinking. With our newsletter UPDATE you can start the day well informed every morning.
A start-up from the USA wants to produce gasoline directly from the air. With CO2 and electricity, up to four liters a day should be possible. By using renewable energies, fuel production could become completely climate-neutral.
Fuel consumption in Germany has decreased continuously in recent years. Nevertheless, they were in 2025 Around 13.6 million tonnes of petrol and 26 million tonnes of diesel fuel were consumed.
Despite the decline in fuel consumption, the figures show how big the challenge remains in achieving the federal government’s climate goals. With a total of almost 40 million tons of gasoline and diesel in 2025, the transport sector remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels and is one of the largest emitters.
Alternative drive solutions, such as electromobility, are considered the key to reducing emissions in the transport sector. But one Start-up from the USA is taking a different approach and wants to produce conventional gasoline directly from the air.
This machine converts CO2 into gasoline
The system from the US start-up Aircela uses an aqueous solution with potassium hydroxide to filter CO2 directly from the ambient air and bind it. The ambient air is sucked into the device via a fan.
In the next step, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. The water can be connected directly via the house pipe.
The resulting oxygen is not needed and is therefore released safely. The system, in turn, uses the hydrogen for the final production step, fuel synthesis.
In this final step, the machine combines the hydrogen and CO2 into methanol. This methanol is then converted into gasoline in a two-step catalytic process.
According to Aircela, it is “gasoline that is ready for immediate use”. This is “fully compatible with existing engines”.
How efficient is the system?
Aircela developed the system for private households, which is why it is based on a simple plug-and-play system. Users do not need any technical knowledge to use it.
It is also a modular system that can be expanded as needed and is suitable for use in both private homes and larger applications.
According to Aircela, one module can produce around four liters of gasoline per day. The system extracts around ten kilograms of CO2 from the air.
However, Aircela’s machine also requires a lot of energy for the process of converting it into gasoline. The system uses around 75 kilowatt hours of electricity for the four liters of gasoline. The start-up is therefore working on reducing the machine’s energy losses.
Aircela is currently working with beta partners to test the system under real-world conditions in various environments and use cases. The machine is expected to come onto the market with initially limited availability in selected US markets from the end of 2026.
Also interesting:
- Study reveals: How efficient are heat pumps really?
- Energy consumption: How much electricity do electric cars really use?
- Dismantling, transitional technology, danger: wind power claims under review
- What happens to old electric car batteries?
The post From CO2: This system produces 4 liters of gasoline per day appeared first on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Google News and Flipboard or subscribe to our newsletter UPDATE.
As a Tech Industry expert, my thoughts on a system that produces 4 liters of gasoline per day from CO2 would be that it is an innovative and potentially game-changing technology. The ability to convert carbon dioxide, a harmful greenhouse gas, into a usable and valuable resource like gasoline has the potential to not only reduce carbon emissions but also lessen our dependence on fossil fuels.
However, there are likely some concerns and challenges that would need to be addressed before this system could be widely implemented. These could include the efficiency of the conversion process, the scalability of the technology, and the overall environmental impact of producing gasoline in this way.
Overall, I would see this system as a promising development in the effort to combat climate change and transition towards more sustainable energy sources. It would be important for further research and development to be done to fully understand the implications and potential of this technology.
Credits