A promising approach to fuel production that would reduce costs, energy use, and carbon dioxide emissions
New findings released by MIT researchers could help energy companies implement a long-recognized process for converting heavy, high-sulfur crude oil into high-value, cleaner fuels such as gasoline without using hydrogen—a change that would reduce costs, energy use, and carbon dioxide emissions. The process involves combining oil with water under such high pressures and temperatures that they mix together, molecule by molecule, and chemically react. The researchers have produced the first detailed picture of the reactions that occur and the role played by the water in breaking apart the heavy oil compounds and shifting the sulfur into easily removable gases. They have also formulated models that show how best to mix the oil and water to promote the desired reactions—critical guidance for the design of commercial-scale reactors.