Revolution in fuel: KIT and Sunfire develop climate-friendly kerosene!

Revolution in fuel: KIT and Sunfire develop climate-friendly kerosene!

The future of air travel could be revolutionized by the development of synthetic fuels. A team of researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Sunfire have presented an innovative co-electrolysis technology that makes the production of climate-friendly kerosene significantly more efficient. In a process funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), CO2, water and electrical energy from renewable sources are converted into synthesis gas in a single step. This has the potential to fundamentally change power-to-liquid (PtL) production and put air transport on a sustainable track.

Professor Roland Dittmeyer, who leads research at KIT and is spokesman for the Copernicus Project P2X, describes co-electrolysis as a decisive breakthrough. It makes it possible to electrochemically convert water vapor and CO2 into synthesis gas. Up to 85 percent of the electrical energy is stored as chemical energy in the synthesis gas, which increases the efficiency of the entire process. Future systems should even feed the heat generated during synthesis back into the process in order to further reduce energy requirements ingenieur.de highlights.

Production capacity and application

The current plant has already successfully produced up to 100 liters of Syncrude per day. This amount is expected to be increased to up to 300 liters per day in the near future. This means that ton-scale production at the Höchst industrial park near Frankfurt will be adapted to the latest technological standards. Synthetic kerosene is used in extensive engine testing to ensure it meets strict aviation standards. The conversion of synthesis gas into long-chain hydrocarbons occurs through the established Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. This technology enables direct further processing into kerosene or other chemical products, which significantly expands the possible applications.

The increasing need for sustainable alternatives to fossil kerosene is driven by the difficulty of making air travel electrified. Therefore, the development of e-fuels that can serve as quasi-CO2-neutral fuels is essential. E-fuels can be used not only in aviation, but also in shipping and transportation. They offer a long-term solution to reduce emissions in transport, which is also a goal of European climate policy bdi.eu determines.

Collaboration and future prospects

The Copernicus Project P2X brings together a total of 18 partners from industry, science and civil society organizations to advance the common vision of CO2-neutral fuels. In addition to KIT, the partners also include companies such as INERATEC and Climeworks. This cooperation is intended to help overcome the technological challenges in the production of e-fuels and anchor the processes in practice.

The significance of these developments cannot be overestimated. Given the Europe-wide goals for reducing CO2 emissions, it is becoming increasingly important to find innovative solutions for sustainable mobility. Researchers and industry representatives agree that synthetic kerosene and other e-fuels are crucial factors for achieving these climate goals, and developments such as those at KIT aim to bring the technologies to market maturity in a timely manner.