From Rocks to Fuel

March 18, 2007

Refinery production leaves a minimum residue of 10% bitumen—also known as asphalt—per barrel of crude oil. It requires too much additional processing to be used for conventional fuel but is a key component in the Hom Tov process. According to Hebrew University Professor Ze’ev Aizenshtat, an energy resource expert, the method also results in a dry fuel byproduct that can be used to power the Hom Tov production plant, as well as provide additional electricity for the national grid.

Feldman told ISRAEL21c that his method was first introduced in 1992 as a way to extract combustible organic material which could then be used to produce oil at a fraction of the current refinery cost. In 1994, then Energy Minister Moshe Shahal ordered further investigation in the hope that researchers could come up with a way to produce quality oil at rock-bottom prices. Shahal’s hopes were soon realized.

Backers of the project are now considering placing a production plant in the Negev, where oil shale is plentiful and has already been unearthed by phosphate plants. The proposed Negev plant, depending on its size, will be able to produce up to 30% of Israel’s energy needs for the next 70 years, at an initial construction cost of US $700 million. Ultimately, the plant could produce oil that would cost only US $25 per barrel, half the cost of today’s crude—a financial bonanza for the Haifa-based company. If approved, the plant is expected to begin full production by 2011.

Arutz Sheva

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