Developing solar technologies for producing carbon-neutral transportation fuels has become a global energy challenge, especially for the long-haul aviation sector.
A promising solution are drop-in fuels produced from H2O and CO2 − synthetic alternatives for petroleum-derived liquid hydrocarbons such as kerosene, gasoline or diesel, which are compatible with the worldwide existing infrastructures for fuel distribution, storage, and end-use.
Professor Aldo Steinfeld, Chair of Renewable Energy Carriers at ETH Zurich, will describe the design and operation of the solar refinery for producing drop-in fuels from sunlight and air, which sets a technological milestone towards the industrial production of sustainable aviation fuels.