Finished Hargraves' book, part 3

After thinking it over, the fastest route towards solving the liquid fuels problem would be to find an efficient means of using nuclear energy to split water for hydrogen.

You could use thermal decomposition or some other process that Hargraves discusses.

According to Hargraves, Thorium is Cheaper than Coal.  In my opinion, you don't have to be that ambitious because the liquid fuels now being used for automobiles and so forth, are too expensive as it is.  If you can replace those with hydrogen fuel cells that can compete on price in terms of the fuel itself and the power plant for the auto, you are in business.

In my opinion, the production of methane may be the quickest way if you can solve the water cracking problem.  According to Hargraves, this has been done in the lab, so all you need to do is to scale it up.

The simplest processes may be to use the Sabatier process with the hydrogen thus produced, as well as a carbon dioxide source.  I've covered a way to produce the carbon dioxide.  Once again, it can be baked out of the calcium carbonate that makes up limestone.  The calcium oxide can be combined with water to make slaked lime which will absorb the carbon dioxide out of the air.  Thus, it can be carbon neutral and requires no extra mining for limestone once the process has been established.

Now, once you have your carbon source and your hydrogen source, the Sabatier process can make methane.  Ship that methane to distribution points.   At the point of sale, the hydrogen can be stripped off, which will leave carbon dioxide and hydrogen again.  The carbon dioxide, which is carbon neutral, can be released into the atmosphere.  The hydrogen can be cryogenically stored and sold to the consumer on location.

According to Aronsson, as I have reported here on this blog, the price for fuel cells is competitive now.  Once solving the hydrogen transport problem with methane, and the fuel cell cost problem with Aronsson's fuel cells, a system that could replace fossil fuels could be put into place.  We are fairly close to that point today.  All we need is just a little more research and we are there.

I recommend the book.