In June of this year, we filed a landmark patent application for our breakthrough CO₂-based Gas-to-Liquids technology. The production of this catalyst is the actual laboratory scale implementation of the catalyst formulation and its synthesis process disclosed in the patent. It is a major step forward for us

—CEO Byron Elton

The major challenge in CO₂-based GTL reactions is the activation of stable carbon dioxide and methane molecules, the company says. Unlike conventional GTL, the Carbon Sciences’ CO₂-GTL Gasoline process allows CO₂ to react directly with methane, through its novel catalyst, at a much lower temperature and pressure to produce a renewable and clean-burning gasoline. The overall reaction is:

CH₄ + CO₂ → (C_5-10H_n) + H₂O

The catalyst performs two important functions: (1) Extract hydrogen atoms from CH₄ to form low-level hydrocarbons, and (2) Convert low-level hydrocarbons into higher-level gasoline range hydrocarbons.

Gas-to-liquids (GTL) is a complimentary refinery processes that converts natural gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons into longer chain hydrocarbons such as gasoline. Carbon Sciences estimates that they can produce 138 billion gallons of gasoline a year (the annual amount used in the US) with 23 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 586 million tons of CO₂ without using crude oil or competing with current natural gas consumption.