Flying green with net-zero aviation fuels

A novel technology can produce a range of sustainable fuels using a combination of processes

Spotted: The International Air Transport Association estimates that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) could contribute up to 65 per cent of the reduction in emissions needed for the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050. However, this will require a massive increase in SAF production in order to meet demand.

Climate tech company Aether Fuels has developed technology to enable the conversion of waste carbon feedstocks – including industrial flue gas, captured CO2, solid waste and biomass, and biogas – into jet fuel and other liquid hydrocarbons. Designed to deliver feedstock flexibility, Aether’s process could overcome the supply constraints faced by other sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production processes.

After they’re decontaminated, Aether’s process converts these gas streams of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, light hydrocarbons (including methane), or hydrogen into liquid fuels in three stages. The first step converts the waste streams into syngas in a single reactor, using a proprietary catalyst. The syngas is then converted into raw hydrocarbons using the Fischer–Tropsch process (a collection of catalytic chemical reactions).

The resulting hydrocarbons are then converted into high-quality liquid hydrocarbons using two proprietary catalysts. The main product of this process is SAF, along with smaller portions of naphtha and diesel.

This June, Aether announced that it has secured $34 million in series A financing from a syndicate of global investors. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate the scale-up of its technology, including construction of a fully integrated 100 gallon-per-day test production plant and a pipeline of commercial-scale production facilities in the US and Southeast Asia.

Written By: Lisa Magloff