Imagine using giant mirrors to catch sunlight and use that heat to bake waste wood and straw into a raw bio-oil. Then, using solar panels to split water into hydrogen, that oil is cleaned up and refined into jet fuel. It is like a solar-powered refinery that turns trash into high-performance fuel for planes.
Aviation fuels currently rely on fossil fuels, and existing bio-fuel processes often burn a portion of their own feedstock for heat, reducing efficiency and sustainability.
An experimental solar heat driven pyrolysis reactor and a set of process simulation models for bio-oil upgrading and green hydrogen production.
If you are an airline dealing with strict carbon emission mandates — this project developed a solar-driven production pathway that creates sustainable aviation fuel from waste biomass. This allows for a transition to greener fuels that are compatible with standard jet engines.
If you are a waste processor dealing with large volumes of demolition wood and agricultural straw — this project developed a solar-assisted pyrolysis process that converts these wastes into bio-oil and biochar. This turns low-value waste streams into profitable fuel precursors.
If you are a solar energy firm dealing with the need for industrial-scale heat applications — this project developed a way to couple concentrated solar heat and PV electricity with chemical reactors. This opens a new market for solar energy in the production of liquid transport fuels.
The project aims for a sustainable aviation fuel production price of 1.5 €/kg.
The project is currently analyzing scalability and developing a new experimental solar heat driven pyrolysis reactor; it is not yet at full industrial scale.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project provides policy recommendations for commercialization.
The process is not yet standardized for ASTM D7566, so the project is performing compatibility and turbine combustion tests to achieve this standardization.
The process uses waste-based materials such as demolition wood and different straws listed in the REDII Annex IX.
The consortium is well-balanced for a technology transition project, consisting of 9 partners across 7 countries. With a 33% industry ratio (3 industrial partners, including 1 SME), the project bridges the gap between academic research (3 universities, 2 research centers) and commercial application, ensuring that the technical development of the solar reactor is aligned with market needs.
Contact Aalto University (AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR) in Finland
Contact us to track the standardization progress of this solar-fuel pathway.
