Startups

Aircela Converts Air to Synthetic Gasoline Without Petroleum

Krishn patel

04 Jan 2026 — 2 min read

Fuel From Air

Key Takeaways:

Aircela’s system captures CO2 from ambient air and combines it with hydrogen to produce synthetic gasoline.
The process uses a KOH water solution for direct-air capture, electrolysis for hydrogen, and methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) catalysis.
Current prototype makes roughly one gallon of gasoline per day and can run in homes or small facilities; scaling depends on clean electricity.
The liquid sorbent is recycled in the process, but fully low-carbon fuel requires renewable power to run the system.

How the Air-to-Gasoline Process Works

Aircela’s device pulls carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere using a water-based liquid sorbent that contains potassium hydroxide (KOH). The CO2 chemically binds in the solution and is then concentrated for downstream chemistry.

Carbon capture and sorbent recycling

The company says the liquid sorbent is recycled continuously, reducing the need for consumables. That closed-loop sorbent handling is key to keeping operational costs and waste low.

Hydrogen production by electrolysis

Aircela produces hydrogen onsite by electrolysis of water. The oxygen byproduct is released, while hydrogen is stored and combined with the captured carbon to form intermediate molecules.

From CO2 + H2 to gasoline: MTG conversion

Captured carbon and hydrogen are first converted to methanol. That methanol then goes through a methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) catalytic process to produce a liquid fuel chemically similar enough to conventional gasoline to run in existing internal-combustion engines.

Practical performance and deployment

In demos, Aircela’s prototype creates up to about one gallon of synthetic gasoline per day. The company highlighted a rooftop demonstration that showed the system can operate in small footprints — small enough for homes, businesses, and distributed industrial settings.

Energy and emissions considerations

Electrolysis and the MTG steps consume electricity, so the lifecycle carbon impact depends on how that electricity is generated. When powered by grid electricity with fossil inputs, the fuel’s climate benefits shrink. Paired with solar or other renewables, the system can deliver much lower net emissions compared with petroleum-derived gasoline.

Scalability challenges

Scaling from a one-gallon-per-day unit to community or commercial production will require larger or many modular units, significant renewable power, and capital investment in reactors and catalysts. Aircela must demonstrate sustained operation, cost per gallon, and supply-chain readiness before broad adoption.

Why it matters

Aircela’s approach sits at the intersection of direct-air capture, electrolysis, and established MTG chemistry. If costs fall and renewable electricity is available, synthetic gasoline made from air could provide a drop-in fuel for existing vehicles while reducing dependence on petroleum.

Vibe-coded log colorizer shows LLM value

Vibe-coded log colorizer: why I’ll keep using LLMs

* Built a small, joyful tool: a log colorizer created by "vibe-coding" to make logs readable faster. * LLMs acted as an accelerant for scaffolding, refactoring ideas and prompt-driven iteration, not a hands-off replacement. * Practical rules: keep prompts small, verify outputs with tests, and treat LLMs as pair programmers rather

Nintendo shares tumble 10% on weak profit

Nintendo shares plunge 10% on weak profit, margin fears

* Nintendo’s stock fell about 10%, its largest one-day drop in 18 months, after the company reported disappointing earnings. * The earnings revealed a significant hit to profit margins, raising investor concern about cost pressure going into 2026. * Market attention is focusing on soaring memory chip prices in 2026 as a

Nintendo Switch becomes 2nd-bestselling console

Nintendo Switch is now the 2nd-bestselling console

* Key Takeaways: * The Nintendo Switch family is now the second-bestselling game console of all time, behind only the PlayStation 2. * Nintendo’s follow-up, Switch 2, has already outsold the Wii U and is on track to overtake the GameCube. * The milestone underscores Nintendo’s sustained hardware success and gives the

Windows 11 26H2 Confirmed — Rollout Expected October 2026

* Windows 11 26H2 references have appeared on the Windows Update page, confirming a forthcoming release. * The update follows Microsoft’s naming convention: 26H2 means the second half of 2026, likely hitting devices around October 2026. * Devices on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 are expected to receive 26H2 through Windows Update;