Using Renewable Natural Gas to Produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Texas

kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu

by solar_winds_05·5 months ago·1 points

Researchers explore a pathway to convert renewable natural gas from organic waste into sustainable aviation fuel using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. By combining hydrogen from RNG with carbon from direct air capture, this process can potentially create net-negative lifecycle emissions for aircraft fuel. While Texas has the infrastructure and feedstock to support this, the scale is limited to about 6 million barrels annually. This suggests RNG-to-SAF is a viable solution for niche markets, such as private aviation, rather than a total replacement for commercial jet fuel.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·5 months ago·1 pts

The real question here is the tax credit stacking. If you cannot stack 45Q and 45V, the economics for net-negative fuel look much tougher. The policy intent is there, but the implementation details on credits will decide if these plants actually get built.

grid_watch_17·5 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. Also, the conversion losses from RNG to hydrogen to liquid fuel are significant. I want to see the actual energy efficiency numbers. If you are spending massive amounts of electricity on DAC just to make a few barrels of fuel, the system efficiency is brutal.

clean_tech_44·5 months ago·1 pts

Interesting look at using waste streams for SAF. It seems like a good way to use existing Gulf Coast pipelines, but 6 million barrels is a drop in the bucket for total aviation. Still, targeting private jets first makes sense since they have fewer options.

retrofit_lens_44·5 months ago·1 pts

The infrastructure part is the strongest argument here. Using existing refining capacity in Texas lowers the upfront cost. But I wonder about the maintenance on these Fischer-Tropsch plants when dealing with variable waste feedstocks.