Quote:
Originally Posted by MathewHennessy
.. - the price of oil will rise to the point where synthetic oil is cheaper than 'traditional' oil
- synthetic oil will replace 'traditional' oil.
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I'm not sure this can happen. Synthetic oil is synthesized from something, using energy from somewhere.
At best, it is synthesized from some renewable source molecules that is already close to the final result (so it takes less energy to get to the final product) using energy also from some renewable source. Then you put that in your tank and burn it, loosing at least 70% of the energy available in the raw fuel. The further you start from molecules near the final result, the more it energy it takes to make.
I haven't looked into it, but I suspect the source chemicals are highly refined distillates of crude oil and the energy used is almost exclusively fossil fuel based.