New catalyst converts wood into jet fuel with 83% carbon monoxide conversion

Sustainability is rapidly becoming a top priority across all sectors, and aviation is no exception. Chinese scientists are developing a new chemical catalyst that converts “wood biomass” into green jet fuel more efficiently and cheaply than before. Sustainable aviation fuel is key to cutting airline carbon emissions, but it is currently too expensive and scarce to replace regular fuel. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Shanghai Advanced Research has developed a new cobalt-manganese catalyst to advance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. The catalyst converts synthesis gas (syngas) derived from woody biomass and other feedstocks into SAF. “Excellent performance in industrial test and techno-economic analysis further demonstrates the strong potential of this catalyst for scalable production of SAF,” the researchers noted in the study paper. Innovative catalyst Fischer-Tropsch synthesis offers a key route for producing sustainable aviation fuel, but commercial adoption depends on developing more effective catalysts. Industrial chemistry typically suffers from a compromise where increasing reaction speeds results in unwanted gases instead of precise jet-fuel hydrocarbons. To solve this challenge, researchers designed a cobalt-manganese catalyst supported on etched Beta zeolites. This specialized material simultaneously optimizes processing speed and product selectivity. If scaled up, it could offer a clear path to practical, large-scale green fuel production. In testing, it converted nearly 83 percent of carbon monoxide while directing over 67 percent of the resulting hydrocarbons into the specific carbon range needed for jet fuel. Aside from its high yield and efficiency, the material also shows good stability and is capable of dealing with feeds that are rich in carbon dioxide, which means that it is directly suitable for use with unrefined, real-world syngas sources. “It also exhibits remarkable stability and strong tolerance to CO2-rich feeds, thus enabling it to process real-world syngas feedstocks,” the study paper added. During pilot testing, researchers formed the catalyst into solid pellets and demonstrated impressive efficiency. It produced over 5.15 grams of product per gram of cobalt per hour, and 79 percent of the resulting liquid consisted of the specific hydrocarbons required for jet fuel. A 1,000-tonne pilot test confirmed that combining woody biomass syngas with the new cobalt-manganese catalyst enables highly efficient jet fuel production. According to the South China Morning Post, a planned 100,000-tonne facility in Sichuan province is expected to generate $302 million in annual revenue by 2028. It is claimed to have operating costs of $114 million. That leaves an estimated gross profit margin near 55 percent. High profit margins could be the ultimate driver for adoption. Aviation accounts for roughly 2 to 3 percent of global carbon emissions, yet sustainable alternative fuels make up under 1 percent of jet fuel consumed worldwide today. The main issue is high production costs combined with early-stage technologies and the use of expensive feedstocks. Hence, the large amount of initial investment is needed to test, improve, and eventually scale the technology. While numerous test flights have flown with blended sustainable aviation fuel, a select few milestone flights have fully demonstrated its safety and operational capabilities. Virgin Atlantic’s historic “Flight 100” demonstrated this potential by flying a Boeing 787 from London Heathrow to New York JFK using pure, unblended fuel composed of HEFA and synthetic aromatic kerosene. This flight proved that unblended sustainable fuel can power long-haul intercontinental commercial routes without standard petroleum additives.With plans underway to complete the commercial-scale Sichuan plant before 2028, the aviation industry may soon find that going green pays off.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.