SyulangAug 27, 2023

OK, #climatechange and #science Mastodon... I need some pointers.

My #greenwashing senses tell me that #efuels are some kind 1) Greenwash, B) Grift or thirdly, a bit of both to help land government grants. But, in the interests in impartiality I need some....

yeah nah, f*ck it - please give me some links to papers/articles to back up my prejudiced derision for this obvious E-Fuel BS.

My money is that a decade or so from now, it'll come out that VW has been up to it's neck in some E-Fuel scam and somehow "lost" like a gazillion carbon credits in the process.

Show threadScott 🏴😷Aug 27, 2023

@Syulang what is an e-fuel? Hydrogen?

From what I understand, hydrogen could be a viable fuel to power internal combustion engines. The problem is policy: it's possible to make it by chemically breaking apart methane, which means fossil fuel companies are lobbying hard to be able to just sell "hydrogen" that is still just as harmful as nat gas.

It's also pretty energy-intensive to make it from water (the other main way to do it) so where you get that energy from matters.

& FF co's benefit.

Show threadSyulang

@scott I'm not 100% clear. It's an EU thing the German business lobby is hyping. From what I can gather it's a liquid at ambient pressure and room temperature liquid made from hydrogen and co2 that is directly burned in an engine. #eFuelAlliance #efuels

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/03/07/the-eus-new-debate-are-e-fuels-a-viable-and-green-alternative-to-the-combustion-engine

Are e-fuels a viable and green alternative to the combustion engine?

An emerging technology, e-fuels are extracted from a combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. #EuropeNews

euronews
Aug 27, 2023 at 11:04pmWeb
Show threadScott 🏴😷Aug 28, 2023
@Syulang ...well, on its face...there's still CO2 being released? That kinda negates the whole point doesn't it?
Show threadSyulangAug 28, 2023

@scott yeah my greenwash senses are all a tingle. According to article I found the co2 used for the blend will from direct air capture and the j2 from seawater electrolysis... So "100% carbon neutral" - except for the metric shit ton of energy involved in those processes which even if renewables will be denying those renewables to other grid uses, making those other uses *dirtier*.

Seems dodgy AF...

Show threadScott 🏴😷Aug 28, 2023
@Syulang dodgy AF indeed. Carbon capture doesn't seem to me like it's going to work at scale.