Americans have learned to extract gasoline from thin air (3 photos + 1 video)
A public demonstration of a machine that produces gasoline literally out of thin air was held in New York. The development of the startup Aircela, as they say, absorbs carbon dioxide contained in the air and then, using water and electricity, synthesizes clean fuel that does not contain sulfur, ethanol or heavy metals. 
The chemical process takes place inside the hexagonal blocks that are connected together, and gasoline is dispensed through a nozzle on the back wall. The manufacturer believes that the compact size of the device will allow it to be used by private individuals, which will speed up the deployment of the technology.
The company's co-founder and CEO Eric Dahlgren emphasized that this is a working version of the machine, not a prototype.
The device can process up to 10 gallons of carbon dioxide per day, which produces 1 gallon (3.785 l) of gasoline. In other words, to fill up a car for any significant trip, you will have to wait several days. In addition, the amount of electricity consumed for synthesis is unclear, which may offset all the financial benefits.
Aircela wants to begin mass production of the device by the fall, targeting both private individuals and commercial structures. The price will be announced closer to the market launch.
Aircela is not the first company to want to get gasoline from thin air. In the early 2010s, for example, a similar idea was put forward by the British startup AFS, promising commercial application of the technology by 2014. There are similar projects in the portfolios of automakers such as Audi and Porsche. They can indeed produce synthetic fuel, but it turns out to be too expensive.
Perhaps such developments will be needed by humanity, but not today, but in the future, when states squeeze all the oil out of the ground, and the price of a barrel ceases to be a political instrument.
