First, carbon dioxide is captured from a power plant, then it is converted into ethanol that can eventually fuel aircraft.
A new large-scale project for climate-friendly aviation fuel is being planned near Forsmark in Uppland.
Aviation is a major culprit for the climate with large carbon dioxide emissions. In recent years, airlines and aircraft manufacturers have begun experimenting with more environmentally friendly fuels, including biofuels. There is now a technology where carbon dioxide is used together with hydrogen to produce what can be called electrofuel.
The parties involved, SAS, Vattenfall, Shell and Lanzatech, describe the project as very exciting and promising. They capture carbon dioxide from the local combined heat and power plant in Uppsala, mix it with hydrogen, produced from fossil-free electricity. The output is ethanol, which is then converted into aviation fuel.
”It's like mimicking photosynthesis, but a little in reverse,” says Andreas Regnell, Head of Strategy at Vattenfall.
”And if you think we're going to keep flying, and if you think bio-based won't be enough, then this is where we end up.”
When the electrofuel is then burned, carbon dioxide is released. But in a simplified way, you can say that the bad greenhouse gas has been used twice – a reuse.
The facility that will produce the fuel is intended to be located next to Vattenfall's nuclear power plant in Forsmark in Uppland and the hope is that it can be in operation around 2026/2027. The goal is to be able to produce enough fuel to cover 25 percent of all SAS traffic in the Nordics from 2030.
”"No investment decisions have been made yet, but it looks like it could work really well, and that it will be competitive," says Lars Andersen Resare, Head of Sustainability at SAS.
The project feels very promising, Andreas Regnell thinks. The uncertainty is how the authorities will classify the fuel.
”The regulatory issue is an important piece of the puzzle,” he says.
The facility where hydrogen will be produced will also consume a lot of electricity, around 250 MW, about a third as much as the fossil-free steel project Hybrit will consume.
Sure, that's a lot, Regnell notes, but he sees it more as a promise to anyone who wants to build wind power – there will be good demand for electricity.
Source: TT
