【Japan’s Stalled Synthetic Oil Project】Can Oil Really Be Made from Water and Air? The Synthetic Oil Demonstration Project That Drew Attention in Osaka

In 2023, サステイナブルエネルギー開発株式会社 conducted a demonstration project for artificial petroleum (synthetic fuel) at Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park, the site of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, in Osaka City. Supported by Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City and Team Osaka, the demonstration project promotion team of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the method used a photocatalyst to generate activated water from water and atmospheric CO2, then added CO2 and seed oil to produce synthetic fuel. The project also involved using the generated fuel to power a generator and charge an electric vehicle.

Subsequent verification indicated that the process could not be reproduced consistently under continuous operation, that results varied depending on operating conditions, and that further verification of the reaction mechanism and energy balance was necessary. In light of these issues, the company announced a policy of not treating synthetic fuel generation using the photocatalyst method as a prerequisite for commercialization.

At the same time, the company is pursuing new technology development rather than remaining committed to its current technology, including research into a process-separation method different from the conventional photocatalyst method. The technology is currently at the research and development stage, and the company is not selling it or accepting applications for implementation. Synthetic fuel is attracting global attention as a decarbonization technology, and efforts in this area are continuing.

The artificial petroleum project that drew attention in Osaka encountered challenges, but the effort to produce fuel from CO2 itself is continuing. Future research trends, and how the prospects for practical application change depending on improvements in the technology’s reproducibility, stability and energy balance, will be areas to watch.