The United States could eliminate the need for crude oil by
using a combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops to make synthetic
fuel, a team of Princeton researchers has found.
Besides economic and national security benefits, the plan
has potential environmental advantages. Because plants absorb carbon dioxide to
grow, the United States could cut vehicle greenhouse emissions by as much as 50
percent in the next several decades using non-food crops to create liquid
fuels, the researchers said.
Synthetic fuels would be an easy fit for the transportation
system because they could be used directly in automobile engines and are almost
identical to fuels refined from crude oil. That sets them apart from currently
available biofuels, such as ethanol, which have to be mixed with gas or require
special engines.