No, we’re not kidding. Reuters has a story on three men from Wales — one organic chemist and two engineers — who have created a “Greenbox” that can clean exhaust from even the dirtiest of engines and turn it into almost pure water vapor. The seemingly magical box converts the captured gases into a biofuel by feeding it to algae. Yes, algae.

It might sound like a half-baked scheme, but the men have serious interest from GM and Toyota and the backing of their local member of Parliament. There are applications for both industrial emissions and, of course, automobiles. The three say the box can be fitted like a muffler and changed at each fuel stop.

Theoretically, this chain of capturing emissions and turning them into fuel could keep us driving cars forever if it yields equivalent amounts. Even if it doesn’t, using more renewable fuels like ethanol — which still emits plenty of emissions — could wean us off foreign oil. The three men won’t let anyone near their box to see what’s in it, although they have performed numerous successful tests.

From Wales, a Box to Make Biofuel From Car Fumes (Reuters via GM Inside News)