We may soon be able to make gasoline from thin air

Can synthetic gas wean us off fossil fuels?

A gas pump.
(Image credit: msymons/iStock)

In the not so distant future, when you fill up your car, you may be pumping gasoline made from air instead of fossil fuels. The technology to make this happen already exists.

In the U.S., transportation accounts for nearly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. While driving generates a number of harmful pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide, the most dangerous with regards to climate change is carbon dioxide: Burning through one gallon of fossil fuel-derived gasoline spits 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it acts as a heat-trapping gas and contributes to a warming planet.

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Lana Bandoim

Lana Bandoim is a freelance writer and editor. Her work has appeared on Yahoo! News, CNN iReport, The Huffington Post, Lifescript, Healthline, and many other publications.