Innovating energy solutions: Research and development highlights

Scientists at ExxonMobil are working to transform algae and plant waste into biofuels that could one day be used for transportation. These advanced biofuels offer the possibility of achieving significant greenhouse gas reductions compared to today’s transportation fuels. They could also minimize impacts on land, fresh water and food supplies compared with traditional biofuels like corn or sugar cane. Algae naturally produce oils that can be turned into a renewable, lower-emission fuel. ExxonMobil and Viridos (formerly Synthetic Genomics, Inc.)  are working together to identify and enhance algae strains capable of high lipid production while maintaining desirable growth rates.

Biofuels used today are largely derived from agricultural crops. Sugar cane and corn are used to make ethanol, while biodiesel is made from vegetable oils like soy. Biofuels made from algae and cellulosic biomass (abundant plant waste such as corn stalks and wheat straw), however, could provide a renewable fuel source that does not compete with supplies of food or fresh water. These advanced biofuels have the potential to be produced on a large scale, and are derived from sources that consume CO₂.

From production to combustion, here are seven reasons why we think the answer could be yes. Find out why these renewable energy sources are so promising.

The abundance and versatility of natural gas make it a valuable energy source to meet a wide variety of needs, and help the world shift to less-carbon-intensive energy sources. Natural gas is an ideal fuel for reliable power generation, and supplements intermittent renewable sources such as solar or wind. In the United States, the power sector’s shift from coal to natural gas has played a key role in bringing U.S. energy-related CO₂ emissions to 1990s levels despite significant growth in energy demand. Recent advances in production technologies have unlocked vast new supplies of natural gas in North America that previously were uneconomic to produce. ExxonMobil is one of the largest natural gas producers in the United States.

CO₂ can be captured, compressed and injected underground for permanent storage. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recognized carbon capture as essential to meeting global emissions-reduction goals. ExxonMobil, along with its academic and private-sector partners, is focused on new ways to capture CO₂ from industrial and power generation sources, as well as directly from the atmosphere. Our research portfolio spans a wide range of technologies, including novel materials and processes.

ExxonMobil is exploring an exciting new possibility: using carbonate fuel cells to more economically capture CO₂ emissions from gas-fired power plants. This novel approach would significantly reduce the energy needed to capture CO₂, is easier to operate than existing technologies, and can be deployed in a modular fashion in multiple industry settings.

ExxonMobil is looking to solve a big challenge: how to reduce emissions from manufacturing processes. One focus area is process intensification – the development of breakthrough technologies that could make manufacturing far more efficient. Our goal is to develop novel process technologies, including membranes and other advanced separations, catalysts and high-efficiency reactors, that can lower CO₂ emissions by 25% or greater.

ExxonMobil develops and produces a range of petroleum-based products that help our customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve efficiency. These include resilient, lightweight automotive plastics that reduce overall vehicle weight, as well as advanced tire materials and transportation fuels and lubricants – all of which can enable cars and trucks to go even farther between fill-ups.

A product’s potential environmental impact extends beyond its manufacturing and use. It also includes the acquisition of raw materials used to make the product, as well as its transport and disposal. In other words, a product’s estimated environmental impact should reflect its entire life cycle. ExxonMobil uses in-house experts and tools to conduct environmental life cycle assessments of emerging products and activities. In doing so, we are able to assess which technologies have the potential to deliver the game-changing results required to transition to a lower-carbon energy system.

In our search for energy and environmental solutions, ExxonMobil partners with companies whose expertise in certain areas complements our own. We also work directly with the users of our energy and chemical products – including automakers and packaging companies – to develop new products that reduce energy use and emissions.

ExxonMobil’s R&D program spans a wide range of focus areas, including catalysts and other advanced materials, computational modeling, and process engineering. ExxonMobil also has been a leader in climate research for more than four decades. Our findings are consistently published in peer-reviewed publications.

Meeting the dual challenge is a global issue that requires the collaboration of governments, industries, consumers and other stakeholders. ExxonMobil has been vocal in our support of an economy-wide price on CO₂ emissions.

In 2018, we joined the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a voluntary initiative representing more than a dozen of the world’s largest oil and gas producers working collaboratively toward solutions to mitigate the risks of climate change. We continue to support the Paris Agreement as an important framework for addressing climate-change risks.