There will be no need for oil to produce aviation fuel in the future. Eco-friendly fuel for aircraft can be obtained by electrolysis of water, using renewable energy sources (RES) and combining the evolved hydrogen with CO2, which is formed during the production of biogas. The prospect of such a technology is intended to prove the world’s first installation for the production of synthetic aviation kerosene on an industrial scale. Its official opening took place on October 4 in the town of Werlte in northwestern Germany.
Environmental non-profit organization Atmosfair has taken the first step
After reaching its design capacity in early 2022, the plant created by Siemens Energy will be able to produce one ton of synthetic kerosene per day. Its first customer will be Lufthansa, which will use it to refuel its cargo planes at Hamburg Airport. The airline has pledged to purchase at least 25,000 liters of green fuel annually over the next five years to protect the climate.
With such volumes, the new enterprise, of course, will not compete with oil refineries – traditional suppliers of air carriers. But such a task is not worth it. The project is being implemented by the environmental non-profit organization Atmosfair, founded in Bonn in 2005.
Its purpose is to show that the technology for producing climate-neutral aviation fuel really exists, that the production of synthetic kerosene can be increased, reducing its still very high cost, and that Germany is able to offer the appropriate equipment. “We want to take the first step in Germany to try this technology here,” said Atmosfair CEO Dietrich Brockhagen.
High hopes for the export of new “green” technology Made in Germany
“To achieve our target of 200,000 tonnes of green kerosene annually by 2030, production capacity will have to be expanded significantly,” Angela Merkel said in her video message to the participants in the launch of the facility in Werlte. Noting the “spirit of pioneers and enthusiasm” of the initiators of the project, the German Chancellor expressed confidence that “the technology and the market will develop.”
Atmosfair plant in Werlte: this container receives ready-made synthetic kerosene
“If we now show that this technology works, it will create new export opportunities for manufacturers of industrial equipment,” – said, in turn, who arrived at the opening ceremony of the plant, Minister of the Environment of Germany Svenja Schulze (Svenja Schulze).
In Germany, for a decade and a half, they have been developing and testing at numerous experimental installations technologies for using renewable energy sources, mainly wind, to obtain from ordinary water by electrolysis either hydrogen and then methane, or a synthetic liquid fuel, for example, aviation kerosene. These technologies have been named Power to Gas (P2G) and Power to Liquid (PtL), respectively.
Werlte becomes a renewable electrolysis center
Back in 2013, it was in Werlte that the world’s first large pilot plant was launched to produce “green” hydrogen (H2), which was converted into methane in the course of a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide (CO2). It was then pumped into a gas pipeline that supplied natural gas to nearby communities.
Werlte, 2013. The methane obtained by electrolysis is used to fill the Audi gas car
3 behind this project was the German car manufacturer Audi, who was experimenting with natural gas at that time and released the Audi A3 g-tron. Therefore, a gas filling station appeared in Werlt. However, then Audi, together with its parent concern Volkswagen, came to the conclusion that the production of gas-powered passenger cars was an unpromising direction, completely switched to electric vehicles and closed the project.
And now this German town near the North Sea coast, where strong winds almost always blow, is turning from a testing site for P2G technology into a PtL production center, especially since considerable experience in the field of electrolysis has already been accumulated here.
Airlines in Germany are required to use synthetic kerosene
To generate electricity, Atmosfair uses wind turbines and solar panels, which, due to their age, no longer receive government subsidies. The project extended their life, because without it they would simply be turned off due to unprofitability.
Lufthansa Cargo will use synthetic kerosene initially
The CO2 required for the production of synthetic kerosene is a by-product of a biogas plant that uses food waste. Thus, there is no need to specially grow plants for this, which could serve as food for humans or feed for livestock. About 5% of carbon dioxide is produced by capturing CO2 from the air. The fuel obtained in Werlte is brought to the required condition at a nearby refinery.
The German government has ordered airlines that from 2026 the share of synthetic kerosene in aviation fuel must be at least 0.5%. This is approximately 50,000 tonnes, which is more than a hundred times the capacity of the Werlt plant. So investors have an incentive to expand production, because they are practically guaranteed sales of products. From 2030 this mandatory share will increase to 2%.
Other options for decarbonizing aviation: biofuels, hydrogen, electric motors
Paris, May 2021. Air France jet fueled with SAF biofuel kerosene before flying to Canada
However, the use of synthetic kerosene is far from the only way to decarbonize air traffic. For example, German Lufthansa back in 2011 was the first in the world to start mixing biofuels with conventional fuel on medium-haul routes, and in the spring of this year, the French airline Air France made its first transcontinental flight with a 16% admixture of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) environmentally friendly aviation fuel.
In addition, in the French city of Toulouse, where the headquarters and headquarters of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus are located, experiments have been carried out with an Airbus A350 running on 100 percent biofuel since March 2021. However, the same Airbus is also working on the creation of hydrogen aircraft.
At the same time, more and more startups in the aircraft industry are creating electric planes – not only air taxis, but also regional business jets.
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