Potentially good news

[xiphias]

If this isn't a hoax -- and I can think of four or five times in history where almost exactly this setup was used as a hoax, and the people got away with the equivalent of millions of dollars -- it's potentially the best news I've read, like, ever.

Comments

[brooksmoses]

A third possiblity, though, which I suspect is at least as likely: the science works and it's not a hoax, but it's not economically viable. It may be that the end result is perfectly good fuel, but not close enough to gasoline for anyone to use in modern finicky cars without computer retrofits. It may be that the process can't be made to be efficient enough to make oil without taking more energy than the oil is worth. It may be that it simply costs too much to build and run the system. It may be that it would work but that they can't build a large enough plant to get the economies of scale that they need to be profitable.

On the other hand, it might, with a bit of luck and sufficient funding, actually work and produce gasoline-equivalent at below market rate. I can't imagine that it will produce anywhere near enough to create an actual revolution, but it might produce enough to be worthwhile.