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In an interesting experiment, scientists from the KU Leuven and Utrecht University have used a new technique to produce clean diesel, for commercialisation, according to a study.

Catalysts can speed chemical reactions, transforming raw material into fuel. To produce diesel, small catalyst granules are blended with the raw material, changing molecules of the raw material to get a usable fuel.

One catalyst has dual functions, represented by two distinctive materials. One of them is a solid-state acid while the other is platinum. The molecules shift between the metal and the acid.

By the end of the process, the material changes and the molecules are harnessed for diesel. If the functions inside a catalyst are just nanometres apart, it leads to better molecules for cleaner fuel.

This new fuel would not only release less CO2 and particles, but can even be used for industrial purposes, while cars can use the clean diesel in another five to 10 years.

"Our results are the exact opposite of what we had expected. At first, we thought that the samples had been switched or that something was wrong with our analysis", Professor Johan Martens from KU Leuven, said in a news release.

"We repeated the experiments three times, only to arrive at the same conclusion. There has to be a minimum distance between the functions within a catalyst. This goes against what the industry has been doing for the past 50 years."

The study was published in Nature.