Fuels from residual substances and biologically regenerating raw materials represent the future of energy development. With Catalytic Depolymerization now a proven technology, these “synthetic fuels” will increasingly replace declining oil reserves. Synthetic fuel production is possible because sufficient quantities of raw materials exist (including waste) to develop deliverable quantities to replace fossil fuel production.
These raw materials include wood, plants, plastics, animal waste, waste oils and other organic residual substances – all of which are usable because of their intrinsic energy content.
Other well-known procedures involving pyrolysis are not able to capture hydrocarbon pollutants, such as halogens and metal vapors, which often remain in the final product obtained from such procedures. Transforming residual substances with any of the well-known recycling procedures requires temperatures in excess of 450°C, at which coke crystals begin to form from residual substances. Such high temperature processes decompose the hydrocarbons nearly completely into coke crystals and methane. Thus, relocated hydrogen atoms convert the existing hydrocarbons, CH2 chains, into methane, CH4, and coke crystals, C. In other words, solid coke and methane gas, CH4, are produced from liquefiable hydrocarbons.
While coke and methane can be used further as an energy output, the by-products of such high temperature procedures, such as CO2, Dioxin and Furans, represent undesirable environmental hazards.