Page 18 - Oct23T

The Future of E-Fuels for SAF
by Tigre Pickett
The bulk of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) used in aviation today is from feedstocks like ani- mal fats, vegetable oils, and waste greases — collectively known as Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA).
But other technologies are being tested and promise to improve efficiency. One such alternative is power-to-liquid fuels (PtL or e-fuels). These synthetic liquid hydrocarbon fuels use renewable electricity to break water into hydro- gen and oxygen and combine them with non-fossil carbon dioxide to produce fuels.
Neste is one of the innovators in the PtL research and development field. Jonathan Wood, VP of Global Commercial & Technical, Renewable Aviation at Neste, recently shared the potential of PtL for the future of aviation.
Twin and Turbine: Given the constraints on feedstock availability globally for SAF, what efforts is Neste focused on for e-fuels or power-to-liquid technology?
Jonathan Wood: In the short term, Neste plans to use green hydrogen to support the refinery processes sustain- ably. In the longer term, we also plan to use hydrogen as a raw material for e-fuels, further supporting our climate and sustainability goals.
The potential of technologies like PtL could be substantial. PtL is a complementary technology for future sustainable fuel production. We need breakthrough innovations and continued focus on research and technology development to provide the most cost-efficient and value-creating solu- tions possible for the future.
In 2022, Neste agreed to build an integrated Power- to-Liquids (e-fuels) demonstration facility at VTT Bioruukki Pilot Centre in Espoo, Finland, for CO2 capture, green hydrogen and e-fuels production.
16 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2023
The potential
of technologies like PtL could be substantial. PtL is a complementary technology for future sustainable fuel production.
In alignment with Neste’s am- bition to reach carbon-neutral production by 2035, we are work- ing on a 120-megawatt electro- lyzer project to produce green hydrogen at our refinery in Por- voo, Finland. Neste has begun the introductory engineering phase of the project, and with
an investment decision on track in 2024, green hydrogen produc- tion could start as soon as 2026.
In Rotterdam, Neste is set- ting up a demonstration unit for green hydrogen production — the world’s first multi-megawatt electrolyzer based on the inno- vative SOEC (solid oxide electrol- ysis cell) technology integrated into industrial production.
But we must be clear that PtL will not be feasible in meaning- ful quantities before 2030. We are also looking at other sources of sustainable feedstocks that could be lower cost and more
quickly implemented at scale, such as novel vegetable oils, agricultural and forestry waste, municipal solid waste, and algae. These sustainable raw materials could be enough to independently meet future renewable aviation fuel needs. So, together with PtL, we can see a pipeline of feedstocks and associated production technologies to deliver on avia- tion’s net zero challenge.