The Road To Green Hydrogen Leads Through SAF

Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or follow us on Google News!

The inexperienced hydrogen area is exhibiting a spark of life following a tough patch final 12 months. A few of that spark is coming from the aviation trade, which has been looking for sustainable aviation fuels to switch petroleum-base jet fuels. Varied biobased SAF concoctions have appeared with out attaining vital scaleup, and now hopes are being pinned on inexperienced hydrogen and the e-fuels area.

Inexperienced Hydrogen And E-Fuels

E-fuels (aka electrofuels) symbolize a brand new route for SAF. E-fuels are artificial hydrocarbon fuels which can be produced by combining captured carbon with inexperienced hydrogen, sometimes which means hydrogen pushed from water in an electrolysis system powered by electrical energy from wind, photo voltaic, and different renewable assets. Biomass is one other rising useful resource, however, thus far, a lot of the exercise has centered on water electrolysis.

Right here within the US, an e-fuels gold rush of types has already surfaced in Texas, the place American Airways is collaborating on an e-fuel SAF initiative referred to as Challenge Roadrunner, with the e-fuels stakeholder Infinium and different companions. CleanTechnica first took be aware of the challenge again in 2023, reporting that American Airlines contributed a firm offtake agreement assist make sure the success of the enterprise.

Final fall Challenge Roadrunner earned a seal of approval from the agency Brookfield Asset Administration, which introduced itself as a $200 million strategic funding accomplice with Infinium for the Texas challenge together with one other $850 million in funding aimed toward distributing Infinium SAF and other e-fuels globally.

Roadrunner was nonetheless on observe as of September 10, with American Airways affirming that it expects to buy SAF from the challenge in commercial-scale portions starting in 2026.

Extra Inexperienced Hydrogen For e-SAF In Denmark

The rising e-SAF trade additionally obtained a shot of adrenaline final week, when the Swiss e-fuels firm Metafuels introduced a brand new $9 million spherical of funding in assist of an illustration web site in Switzerland. In anticipation of a profitable demonstration, Metafuels additionally has a manufacturing facility in Denmark within the pipeline. The manufacturing facility is anticipated to generate 12,000 liters of SAF every day as soon as in operation.

The agency Celsius Industries spearheaded the funding, with new buyers RockCreek, Fortescue Ventures, and Verve Ventures additionally taking part. Present buyers Power Affect Companions and Contrarian Ventures signed onto the brand new spherical as effectively, having contributed to an $8 million funding spherical in 2023.

As well as, the Swiss Federal Workplace of Power chipped in one other $5 million, primarily based on Metafuels’s sustainable methanal-to-SAF collaboration with the Swiss analysis institute PSI.

Metafuels is taking part in its proprietary e-fuels course of near the vest, however the firm does emphasize that its SAF is produced with electrical energy from renewable assets. “Metafuels’ differentiation is cost leadership through the ability to convert its feedstock (e-methanol) into e-SAF with a significantly higher yield, ensuring a more efficient and cost-effective process,” the corporate provides.

“Metafuels’ signature e-SAF, aerobrewcan replace conventional kerosene regardless of the size, type of aircraft, and short-haul or long-haul,” Metafuels explains. The corporate’s web site supplies only a little bit of extra element, describing the aerobrew course of as an “an innovative catalytic system — the ‘missing piece of the jigsaw’ for converting green methanol to SAF — with a high selectivity and yield.”

In a press assertion asserting the brand new funding final week, Metafuels CEO and co-founder Saurabh Kapoor famous that the funding whole of $22 million permits Metafuels to finish the demonstration program and deal with the industrial market. “We will be looking at implementing a number of new sustainable aviation fuel production sites and are already engaging with various stakeholders as potential investors or e-SAF off-takers,” he stated.

Who’s Gonna Pay For All This?

The massive impediment, after all, is value. Metafuels is leaning on the effectivity and scalability of its aerobrew course of to counterbalance the price of inexperienced hydrogen, which stays excessive relative to standard hydrogen extracted from pure fuel (see heaps extra green H2 background here).

Metafuels additionally notes that its amenities might be positioned close to aviation gas hubs and aggressive renewable power assets, trimming transportation and electrical energy prices.

Excessive prices or not, legacy aviation stakeholders are additionally paying consideration. That features Honeywell, which was tapped by the Danish agency Power2X to contribute its new “eFining” system to a large-capacity eSAF hub taking form in Rotterdam, aiming at delivering greater than 250,000 tonnes (metric tons) per 12 months.

“The Rotterdam facility will use locally produced green hydrogen and imported methanol produced from green hydrogen and biogenic carbon as feedstock to create electrofuels (eFuels),” Honeywell and Power2X defined in a press launch dated December 17.

“Honeywell’s eFining technology will play a central role in production, enabling the conversion of methanol into eFuels with low emissions and high efficiency,” the 2 companies elaborated, including that the Rotterdam facility “underscores how technology is shaping the future of aviation and the energy transition, two megatrends that align with Honeywell’s portfolio.”

Earlier than you get too excited, the 2 corporations additionally point out that their eSAF will likely be blended with typical jet gas with the intention to obtain the standing of a drop-in substitute. However, they point out that the lower in greenhouse fuel emissions will likely be substantial.

“Honeywell UOP eFining can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 88% compared to conventional jet fuel,” they state.

Honeywell provides that its SAF know-how has been licensed at greater than 50 websites world wide, for a mixed capability of 500,000 barrels every day if and once they grow to be totally operational.

One other Inexperienced Hydrogen Startup To Watch

A fast search of the Intertubes simply reveals inexperienced hydrogen and e-SAF tasks world wide which were delayed or cancelled outright as a result of excessive prices and offtaker shortage, Uniper’s proposed “SkyFuelH2” challenge in Sweden being one instance. Nonetheless, that doesn’t appear to have dampened enthusiasm in different areas. For instance, the Sultanate of Oman is working with the Norwegian agency Nordic Electrofuel to turbo-boost e-SAF manufacturing within the Sultanate.

Control the Finnish startup Liquid Solar, which describes itself as a “carbon recoding” firm. “Our solution is based on low temperature electrolysis (LTE) technology that transforms CO₂ and water into valuable e-fuel feedstocks. The process is powered by renewable electricity,” Liquid Solar explains.

In November, Liquid Solar reported that it has nailed down virtually 4 million euros in seed funding, on high an an earlier €1 million funding spherical in 2023. With the funding in hand, Liquid Solar anticipates a easy path in the direction of scaleup.

The subsequent step is a pre-commerical demonstration challenge, to be housed in a transport container.

The brand new spherical of funding was spearheaded by Voima Ventures, which additionally has the inexperienced hydrogen stakeholder Photo voltaic Meals underneath its umbrella, and co-led by the Finnish-American enterprise capital agency Failup Ventures. The agricultural waste recycler Enifer Oy additionally participated, together with the Swedish agency Cellfion AB.

Observe me by way of LinkTreeor @tinamcasey on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

Picture: Inexperienced hydrogen stakeholders anticipate hitching a experience on the up-and-coming e-SAF area, which leverages renewable electricity to provide artificial fuels (courtesy of Metafuels).