Sacramento clean fuel technology company Infinium has an agreement with Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to work on development of “electrofuels” manufacturing plants in Japan.
Mitsubishi is already an investor in Infinium, which has developed proprietary technology to convert waste carbon with renewably sourced hydrogen to create zero-carbon transportation fuel.
“We’re on a mission to decarbonize the world, and the opportunity to build electrofuels production in yet another pivotal geographic market further validates the growing commitment to a net-zero carbon future,” said Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle, in a news release.
The announcement about development potential in Japan follows Infinium development agreements to build large-scale plants in Dunkirk, France, announced in early February, and also in Brazoria County, Texas, announced later that month.
Infinium is commercializing a process that uses renewable electricity to release hydrogen from water, and then mix the hydrogen with waste carbon dioxide to make synthetic diesel. The fuel made in the process is cleaner than petroleum-derived diesel and can be used in existing trucks, ships and jet planes.
Infinium’s electrofuels are drop-in replacements for petroleum-based diesel fuel, and they reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 97%, allowing them to be classified as ultra-low carbon fuel.
Mitsubishi has already developed carbon dioxide capture technology in Japan, and it's a major player in Japan’s energy sector.
The collaboration also supports Japan’s Green Growth Strategy, which seeks to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions from 2013 levels by 46% by 2030, and then to achieve carbon-neutral status by 2050.
Electrofuels are seen as a solution to long-distance transportation, air transportation and marine transportation, where electric vehicles currently are not viable.
