SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A group of scientists from Utah created Moxie, a device that NASA sent as part of the Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars.
The device has achieved a world first, but not on this planet. It seems that the technology that NASA needs for Mars is even more important on Earth.
A stack of solid oxide electrolysis cells inside a golden box extracted carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and converted it into oxygen.
Those who created it said it wasn’t exactly exciting to see their device blast off into space to be tested 225 million miles away.
“Exciting is probably not the right word, it was more terrifying and nauseating,” said Joseph Hartvigsen, CEO of OxEon Energy.
The oxygen created by the device is needed for future astronauts to survive on Mars and to create fuel for their return.
OxEon Energy is based in North Salt Lake.
They say this rare achievement, along with being named one of Time magazine’s best innovations of 2023, underestimates the significance of what their technology can do.
“We think it’s much more important, and we think the commercial applications for sustainability are even more important than the space applications,” Hartvigsen said.
What excites them most is not Mars, but Earth.
“This is undoubtedly a world-saving technology,” said Dr. Elango Elangovan, OxEon’s chief scientific officer.
The company received $36 million to significantly develop its technology for use on Earth.
Officials said the same CO2 that is currently contributing to the coming climate crisis can be used.
“CO2, which is a byproduct of a number of industrial processes, can be captured and converted into fuels,” Hartvigsen said.
Those who created this technology see it as the key to a sustainable future.
“I think the future should be really excited about this,” said Jessica Elwell, OxEon’s chief operating officer.
If they are right, the future may not be as distant as some think.
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“The adoption time frame is much shorter than people think. These types of fuels are drop-in fuels, where there is no need to change anything in the combustion process of the engine,” Elwell said.
They said the fuel they are able to create with their technology from carbon dioxide and steam can be used as aviation fuel and for diesel engines, such as those in semi-trucks. They added that it can work perfectly in current engines without any modifications.
Over the past few decades, Utah has experienced an economic boom that has benefited from the rise of a multitude of digital technology companies.
These inventors believe this energy technology could be the fuel that keeps Utah’s economy booming.
“This will be part of history,” Elangovan said.
There are good reasons why this type of tech industry could thrive here.
“I don’t know of any other state that supports business growth as much as Utah,” Elwell said.
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