AN entrepreneur says he has been left "overwhelmed" after receiving hundreds of calls about his plan to build a factory which turns air into petrol.
The Post reported yesterday how Tony Marmont had gone public with his air-fuel synthesis process after seven years of development.
It makes synthetic petrol, diesel and aviation fuel using water and carbon dioxide.
Mr Marmont, who sold his Kegworth-based firm Carter Soft Drinks in 1993 for £45 million, said "hundreds" of people had called him over the weekend wanting to invest or find out more.
And he says with enough interest and development the technology could mean that one day people will be able to produce their own fuel at home.
He said: "We've had business people, men in the street, retired people, people from every corner of business calling.
"It's been more than I ever could have dreamed. I feel overwhelmed by it.
"I've never seen a reaction like this before. It took me by surprise.
"But when you think about it the whole world is questioning our fuel supply issues."
Mr Marmont revealed last week that he had produced 15 gallons of synthetic petrol using a small demonstrator unit.
Now he wants to increase production and build a £6 million pilot factory able to produce one tonne of fuel a day, but needs investors to back it.
This would then lead to his firm, Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS), building a much bigger refinery.
He said that over the last two days a big new potential backer capable of funding the pilot project had contacted him, among other possible investors.
He added: "We have had someone come forward. But we need to see all these people."
The AFS website had 30,000 hits on Friday afternoon and Mr Marmont said that "hundreds" of calls had come in over the last three days.
He added: "I'm hoping that people will take a licence out on the technology and build them all over the world. They could take it further than we could.
"As time goes by this new industry will become more efficient.
"It would change everything because this fuel is carbon-neutral."
Although synthetic fuel has been produced for decades, Mr Marmont's technology can claim to be carbon-neutral because the electricity to power it comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy.
The electricity is used to power a "scrubber" that removes carbon dioxide from air and takes the hydrogen from water using an electrolyser.
The carbon dioxide and hydrogen are then combined in a fuel reactor to produce petrol, diesel and methanol.
But before mass production can be achieved Mr Marmont, 82, needs investment to build the pilot plant.
Shell and BP yesterday declined to comment on the technology – but both said they were aware of it.
