Synthetic fuels could eliminate entire U.S. need for crude oil, create 'new economy'

Posted November 27, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
by John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications

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.