New catalyst to cut jet fuel costs

• PNNL researchers develop a new catalyst to lower SAF production costs
• The single-step process could drop fuel prices to $2.50 per gallon
• Technology is now being scaled up for industrial-scale testing

The dream of cleaner air travel often hits a harsh reality: cost. Sustainable aviation fuel exists, but it's far too expensive for widespread use. A new catalyst breakthrough, however, could finally start to change that economic equation.

The Sky-High Cost of Flying Green

The global aviation industry faces a monumental challenge: reducing its significant carbon footprint, which accounts for about 2.5% of all global CO2 emissions. While electric planes are not yet feasible for long-haul flights, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) offers a promising 'drop-in' solution that can power existing aircraft. The problem is that SAF, made from sources like used cooking oil, plant matter, or even captured carbon, can cost anywhere from two to five times more than traditional petroleum-based jet fuel. This price difference is the single biggest barrier preventing airlines from adopting it at scale, creating a chicken-and-egg scenario where production remains low because demand is constrained by cost, and costs remain high because of limited production scale.

A Breakthrough Catalyst Simplifies Production

Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a U.S. Department of Energy lab, have developed a new process that tackles this cost issue head-on. Their innovation centers on an advanced catalyst designed to convert ethanol directly into a chemical called n-butene, a key building block for jet fuel. This is significant because current methods often involve multiple, complex, and energy-intensive steps. By streamlining what is typically a multi-stage process into a single step, the PNNL approach promises to reduce the complexity, improve the efficiency, and lower the capital costs associated with building SAF production facilities.

How It Works: From Ethanol to Jet Fuel

The beauty of this new approach lies in its efficiency. The process uses ethanol, a widely available alcohol that can be produced from renewable sources like corn, sugar cane, or even industrial waste gases. When this ethanol is passed over the new catalyst, it is directly converted into n-butene. This chemical can then be easily upgraded into SAF through standard refining techniques. The breakthrough data shows this single-step conversion is not only simpler but highly effective, potentially reducing the minimum selling price of the resulting fuel to be more competitive with conventional options. A techno-economic analysis estimated a potential fuel selling price as low as $2.50 per gallon, a significant step toward price parity.

The Road from Lab to Runway

While this is a major scientific achievement, it is not an overnight solution. The technology, developed over years of research with partners like LanzaTech, is now being scaled up for larger-scale testing. LanzaTech has already spun off a company, LanzaJet, to commercialize alcohol-to-jet technology and in January 2024 opened the first commercial-scale SAF plant using an ethanol-based process in Georgia. The new, more efficient catalyst from PNNL represents the next generation of this technology. Successfully moving from laboratory demonstrations to industrial-scale production that can supply a global industry is the next critical hurdle. It will require significant investment and policy support to build the necessary infrastructure and supply chains.