Researchers in Switzerland say the futuristic fuel uses water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to power jet engines. The team is the first to produce the fuel in a power generator rather than a lab.Scientists have created a carbon-neutral jet fuel that comes from a very eco-friendly source — a solar-powered tower.

Figure 1: Jet fuel from eco-friendly source – a solar powered tower.

Figure 1 shows thatthe amount of synthetic jet fuel it emits when it combusts in a plane’s engine equals the amount consumed during its production in a solar plant, thus making it carbon-neutral. The fuel will be even greener if the team can capture carbon dioxide from the air in the not-too-distant future and use it in the fuel.

The solar-made kerosene, or jet fuel, is fully compatible with the existing way fuel is stored, distributed, and used in a plane’s engine. Researchers add they can also blend it with fossil-derived kerosene. [1]

"We are the first to demonstrate the entire thermochemical process chain from water and CO2 to kerosene in a fully-integrated solar tower system," says Aldo Steinfeld.

"With our solar technology, we have shown that we can produce synthetic kerosene from water and CO2 instead of deriving it from fossil fuels. The amount of CO2 emitted during kerosene combustion in a jet engine equals that consumed during its production in the solar plant,"

Steinfeld says, "that makes the fuel carbon neutral, especially if we use CO2 captured directly from the air as an ingredient, hopefully in the not-too-distant future." [2]The system forms part of the European Union’s SUN-to-LIQUID project, which aims to find synthetic alternatives to fossil-derived fuels.

In theory, these synthetic fuels generate only as much CO2 during combustion as was removed from the atmosphere in their production. However, the production of machinery to create the fuels could create additional carbon emissions.

If successfully implemented at scale, it could contribute to the decarbonization of air transport, which accounts for roughly 5 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions causing climate change.

Steinfeld says, “it is not clear how large this effect is or how it can be controlled. However, because solar fuels are chemically cleaner than fossil fuels, burning solar fuels causes less soot, resulting in far fewer contrails. So solar fuels are better in that respect as well, probably much better, but there could be a small residual climate effect left over from cloud formation.”

References:

1. https://www.studyfinds.org/carbon-neutral-jet-fuel/
2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220720121020.htm
3. https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/carbon-neutral-fuel-solar-kerosene-b2127459.html

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), A Carbon-Neutral Jet Fuel from Eco-Friendly Source, Anatechmaz, pp. 376