Air Company (US) to create jet fuel out of water and air
US-based startup Air Company is embarking on a project that promises to create synthetic jet fuel out of water and carbon dioxide in the air we breathe. The company has been awarded $65 million by the US Air Force to launch the so-called SynCe project to develop a Carbon Conversion Reactor that produces the fuel.
AirCompany produces a product by the name ‘AirMade fuel’ that is different from the regular Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) that is being produced today. This new fuel is a ‘drop-in’ kerosene that doesn’t require blending with fossil fuels at all. PopularMechanics reports: “Furthermore, the conversion reactor doesn’t require an exotic, specially sourced feedstock – it simply needs carbon dioxide, which can be obtained anywhere.”
Air Company’s reactor is an advancement over the Fischer-Tropsch process developed in 1925. This process involved converting sold carbon monoxide (CO1) and hydrogen into a gas called syngas, which is then liquified using metal catalysts under high pressure at a temperature of 300 to 572 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air Company’s reactor simplifies the process by skipping the solid-to-gas conversation, and instead runs on hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. The CO2 is captured, typically from industrial sites, and cooled, pressurized, liquified, and poured into a storage tank.
