The transport of Sahara dust is of great importance to the formation of the seasons and climate patterns, and the quality of life for people and all living things. Once, the Sahara region was one of the richest areas in the world in terms of vegetation and animal diversity. In the course of tens of thousands of years, these plants and animals died. But their remains still constitute the structure of today’s Sahara dust, which passes through a natural reaction during transport via clouds and undergoes chemical changes with the help of sunlight and water. This transformation which is iron-rich in structure is vital to all living creatures around the world.
Chitlig scientists have focused on the interactions between desert dust and clouds. Their studies have revealed that this naturally occurring acidic mixture is created by a fungus present among the dust particles. Their studies have also proved that the chemicals formed during the transportation of desert dust are in fact responsible for the decomposition of precursors of methane that are embedded within the dust particles known as chitin.

By mimicking the impacts of Sahara dust, Chitlig scientists showed that hydrocarbon production can be enhanced if the Sahara dust decomposition process is accelerated in low-grade carbon containing natural resources. Chitlig scientists injected natural acidic mixtures in shale and shale-like materials and obtained methane and other hydrocarbons from the concentrated form of chitin. The results of laboratory measurements (Figure 1) show the production of hydrocarbon gases (carbon chains of C¹-C⁶⁺, namely methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, and their isomers) from shale and shale-like materials via Chitlig’s patented chemical reaction.

Chitlig scientists have named this new method Hydrocarbon Recovery in Aerobic Conditions, or HCAC, because the chemical reaction works in the presence of oxygen (oxic conditions). The HCAC mixture is comprised of water, bacteria, fungi and natural acidic elements. The proportions and qualities of each ingredient have been well established after years of laboratory tests by our scientists.  The HCAC formula is protected under a U.S. patent.

HCAC promises two different applications for the oil and gas industry.

During hydraulic fracturing, the HCAC special mixture can be injected into shale formations in order to control the amount of gas to be obtained from the wells. Tests conducted under reservoir conditions by accredited petroleum and chemical engineering laboratories at one of Turkey’s top engineering and science universities (Middle East Technical University) have reported that HCAC application provides significant increase in gas production.

In shallow shale formations or oil sands, HCAC is applied in the reactor and gas is produced under high pressure and oxic conditions.

The use of HCAC in both areas is a highly revolutionary process in its replacement of conventional hydraulic fracturing chemicals with a natural mixture. This substitution has multiple benefits including lower costs and less impact on the environment. In fact, the laboratory experiments showed that the flowback water can be re-purposed for beneficial use (for example, in agricultural irrigation). The approach does not require increased heat.

Considering the technologies in use today, the answer is a big YES!! Hydraulic fracturing creates concerns because of the small amount of chemicals used in fracturing fluid.  Shallow shale and open pit mining of bituminous layers near the surface have more visible negative impacts on environment and public health. The application of HCAC guarantees a brighter future for humanity and the environment. HCAC, which represents the nature’s decomposition formula of the Sahara sands, enables the shale and bituminous formations to complete the decomposition process faster. As a result, there is no conflict with mother nature.

The NASA video shows that, in 2017, there were numerous hurricanes forming over the Atlantic Ocean and that some of them made landfall. Close inspection of such events by Chitlig scientists revealed an astonishing change in CO₂ formation once the hurricane makes landfall. Based on the knowledge of desert dust cloud interactions and the resulting products, Chitlig scientists hypothesize that hurricanes are seeking dust to enhance cloud formation. If so, we may not have to wait until they make landfall to satisfy their dust requirement. We may supply their chemical requirement at the right time, right elevation with the correct mixture while the system is over the ocean. Chitlig scientists believe that hurricanes can be controlled for the benefit of humanity.

A scalable solution might already be here…

In 2016 alone, the world produced 396 million tons of plastic, equivalent to 53 kilograms for every person on the planet. Most conventional plastics are made from hydrocarbons, mostly from fossil fuels. Bioplastics have been under development but face many problems other than their high cost. The large variety of plastic demand makes the progress of formulating and manufacturing the right variety of bioplastics more complicated. Bioplastics, just as biofuels, often compete for the same land and water resources as agricultural products and the food chain. The replacing fossil-fuel-based plastics with today’s known bio alternatives would cause their own environmental challenges. At this point, Chitlig scientists ask: “Imagine if we could produce bioplastics from endless raw materials such as Sahara dust and bituminous formations, would it not be an utmost beneficial leap for the humankind?”