CO2-fuelled engine becomes latest entry into Musk carbon prize
Infinity Turbine said June 3 it would compete in Elon Musk's XPRIZE carbon abatement contest with a plan to extract CO2 from the sea and use it as a fuel for ship propulsion.
The SeaMerlin engine could sequester CO2 from saltwater for use as a source of thrust, either by converting or supplementing existing propulsion systems. At the same time, a reverse fuel cell could be used to convert the CO2 into methanol or ethylene, the latter of which could be used to make plastics for an additional carbon sink.
Musk in January said he would offer a $100mn prize for developing the "best" technology to capture CO2 emissions.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned in December that carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) needed to be deployed at a much faster pace for countries to meet their climate goals. Storage projects can handle emissions from many industries and can be used to make natural gas-derived hydrogen clean.
Musk's car company, Tesla, is a pioneer in electrifying vehicle transport, and electrification is touted as a key way to decarbonise other industries. But CCUS is a potential solution for areas that are not easily made clean with renewable power supply alone.
In April, Musk’s XPRIZE teamed up with AirMiners, which is exploring so-called carbon mining from the air, and Creative Destruction Lab, a non-profit teaching vehicle that grew out of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, to support startups interested in competing for the multi-million-dollar prize.
Many projects that would qualify for the $100mn prize are still in the nascent stage.