AIRCO's New Britain plant in Bucks County is producing jet fuel and diesel from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The process uses electricity to split hydrogen from water, then combines it with purchased CO2 through a proprietary catalyst. Current output is about 40 gallons of diesel per month, and the company plans a commercial unit around 1,000 gallons. A roughly $67 million Defense Innovation Unit contract backs work on transportable fuel systems for the military. The climate impact is not automatic. Emissions depend on the electricity source and where the CO2 comes from. AIRCO still uses delivered CO2 rather than pulling it directly from air, and production costs are higher than conventional fuel. For anyone tracking e-fuels, the pilot is a useful case study in what works and what remains unresolved.
