Very promising article. I guess burning the fuel will produce CO2 again? But at least the net environmental effect is zero.
The good thing about comparatively low-tech processes like this is, they may allow production to be decentralised.. saving a lot of energy on shipping.
I wonder how scaleable this process is for commercial production?

Aren\'t you just putting back (burning diesel) what you took out? Plus generating a bit more in the process?

If they care so much about the environment? Why patent it?

This sounds great!
So how far is the technology from commercial viability?
Gizmag, we love the stuff you come up with but quite often it\'s short on such details and more follow ups also might help.

Preliminary conversion rates would be nice...

This statement from a so-called professor seems to illustrate a lack of understanding of the carbon cycle;

\"CO2 is the major greenhouse gas mediating global climate change, so removing it from the atmosphere is good for the environment,\" said Frias\' advisor, Prof. Larry Wackett. \"It\'s also free. And we can use the same infrastructure to process and transport this new hydrocarbon fuel that we use for fossil fuels.\"

I wonder if he has a design for a perpetual motion machine too.

Patent? Gee...one is then able to govern/manage the use of the technology and who profits from it or not. And profit\'s not a 4 letter word...even Higher Education and research need funding. Image what else they might be able to develop if they can afford to do so.
:-)

If you care so much about the environment Dinther, why don\'t you make a competing technology for nothing? Sheesh, they\'ve got to pay the bills, the staff, and they\'ve got to fund the next step up, and frankly, when you make something that works that helps everyone, you deserve a reward. Why don\'t you move to Cuba, that great bastion of scientific progress? Oh that\'s right, Castro recently said that communism doesn\'t work.

I wonder if the process requires fossile fuel. I get a feeling that all those conversion steps need a bit more than time and maybe some sunshine. But if I\'m wrong it sounds wonderful. :-)

@ Paul: Hopefully just to recoup the R&D expenses.