Musk tweets about rocket fuel from captured CO2

Elon Musk tweeted today that his rocket and spacecraft company SpaceX is starting a programme to produce rocket fuel from carbon dioxide (CO2).

He invited those interested in such a project to join, without revealing specific details.

The idea is to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and use it to make fuel. Today, there are 19 direct air capture (DAC) plants operational globally, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) from November. The biggest one is a plant in Iceland, put on stream in September to capture 4,000 tonnes per year.

The DAC technology is in the early stages of development and there is significant room for improvement in its efficiency and innovation. Whether Musk would help drive the technology forward remains to be seen.

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