Nordic Energy Research

The purpose of this pre-feasibility study was to identify technological pathways and processes for producing sustainable aviation fuel based on renewable feedstocks of biogas, bio-methane, electro-methane, hydrogen and CO2 and to make a preliminary assessment of their feasibility including their economic/commercial viability. The ability to integrate methane, CO2, electricity, and hydrogen in one supply chain is a key feature of this pathway. By using flue gas CO2 and atmospheric CO2 as feedstocks, it makes the pathway a sustainable and scalable solution. Since this process is based on biogas and CO2, the jet fuels will be close to CO2 neutral.

A benefit of the proposed pathway is that it builds on a backbone of existing large-scale technology, i.e. the so-called gas-to-liquid or GTL technology where liquid fuels are produced from methane via synthesis gas. Synthesis gas, or syngas, is a mix of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, being an intermediate in the conversion of methane to liquid fuels. Several such large-scale GTL plants are in operation across the world converting natural gas into liquid fuels. The same technology can be applied to bio-methane and green syngas.

A plant producing sustainable jet fuel can in principle be contracted ‘tomorrow’ – after a detailed feasibility study for a specific location – and be built and come into operation by 2025 at the latest.