New technology could convert CO2 emissions to jet fuel

“Current approaches had often been inefficient and energy‑intensive. By bringing the steps of conversion together, we have been able to simplify the process and reduce unnecessary energy losses,” said distinguished professor Tianyi Ma from RMIT’s School of Science.

“This is not a silver bullet. It is about developing practical tools that could help industries and governments reduce emissions while making use of existing systems during the transition to cleaner fuels.”

According to the scientists, the process does not convert carbon dioxide directly into jet fuel, but into “basic chemical building blocks” that can be used for low-emissions fuels and other applications currently served by fossil resources.

Aviation has thus far proved a difficult sector to decarbonise, the researchers say, with battery-electric aircraft unsuited for longer flights, while demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is still outstripping supply.

SAF has also been hit by accusations of greenwashing, with former Productivity Commissioner Paul Lindwall last year having called it “an expensive, inefficient distraction from viable alternatives”.

“Rather than replacing existing fuel technologies, the RMIT system is positioned as a complementary option,” they said.

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“It offers another pathway to generate the materials needed for low‑emissions jet fuel and other carbon‑based products, particularly near large and difficult‑to‑abate sources of industrial emissions.”

According to Dr Peng Li, lead author of the study published in the international journal Nature Energy, the focus has been on “improving efficiency and practicality”.

“Our approach has reduced the number of processing steps and lowered energy demand compared with conventional systems,” said Li.

“The RMIT system operates without the need for highly purified carbon dioxide, which is important in real industrial environments.”

The next step for the researchers is to scale up the technology and ensure it can work outside the lab, with a three‑kilowatt prototype system already completed; they plan to build a 20‑kilowatt pilot system to “demonstrate how it integrates with real industrial carbon‑emission source”.

This includes industry partnerships with Viva Energy, Hart Bioenergy, T-Power, Aqualux Energy, CO2CRC, ViPlus Dairy and CarbonNet on “pilot-scale development and future deployment pathways”.

“Scaling up has to happen hand in hand with industry. That is the only way to understand what would work in practice and what still needs improvement,” Ma said.

Research conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and released in September found that there is enough SAF feedstock available to allow the airline industry to hit net zero within the next 25 years, but that the rollout has been hampered by slow technology and infrastructure development.