CO2 + H2 -> sustainable aviation fuel

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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The company Johnson Matthey just launched their HyCOgen technology that enables the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Over 95% of the CO2 is converted into synthetic crude oil through the Reverse Water Gas Shift (HyCOgen) technology.

The FT CANS Fischer Tropsch technology, developed in coordination with bp, is combined with Johnson Matthey’s HyCOgen—a catalyzed process that forms synthesis gas, or syngas—to produce renewable fuel. The crude oil that is produced can be transformed into drop-in fuel products such as SAF, renewable diesel, and naphtha. The combination of these technologies is now available as a solution from Johnson Matthey.

According to a press release from Johnson Matthey, the scalable integration of HyCOgen and the FT CANS technology will serve to increase SAF supply and therefore mitigate CO2 emissions. The company claims that the aviation industry collectively produces 12% of the world’s transportation-related CO2 emissions. Sector Chief Executive at Johnson Matthey, Jane Toogood, explained, “There are significant hurdles in moving from hydrocarbon-based aviation fuel to alternatives such as battery electric or hydrogen. [Our expertise] in syngas generation technology can play a crucial role, by providing solutions that enable the production of sustainable drop-in fuels that are deployable today.”

Johnson Matthey played a role in United Airlines’ achievement last month of the first commercial flight using 100% drop-in SAF in one of two engines.

https://www.aviationtoday.com/2022/01/13/new-technology-enab…

Another blackeye for EXXON and the evil petroleum industry.

Jaak :blush:

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There’s always that pesky 2nd Law of Thermodynamics that often ruins such grandiose plans.

Yes, those sort of chemical reactions to produce a usable aviation fuel are possible, but at what energy cost? Those energy costs translate into an overall price per gallon. Unless the costs are below that of drilling and refining petroleum, I don’t think Exxon will be terribly concerned.

https://cleanenergynews.ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/sust…

From July 2021:
SAF [Sustainable Aviation Fuel] prices are currently about five times higher than prices for conventional jet fuel, data on European spot market prices collected by OPIS show.

And:
“It must also be considered that airlines are operating in a notoriously low-margin, capital-intensive environment, and many have precarious financial positions as a result of the severe disruption they have faced in the past year. In this context, it is hard to foresee any airline voluntarily making a large volume commitment to SAF as long as the price differential with conventional jet fuel remains substantial,” wrote IHS Markit analysts in the report.

  • Pete
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<The company Johnson Matthey just launched their HyCOgen technology that enables the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Over 95% of the CO2 is converted into synthetic crude oil through the Reverse Water Gas Shift (HyCOgen) technology. The combination of these technologies is now available as a solution from Johnson Matthey.>

That’s very nice. I hope that this technology will be developed on a large scale.

Right now, Johnson Matthey (JMPLF) is running at a loss. It doesn’t have a P/E ratio (no earnings) and doesn’t pay a dividend. The share price is 54, down from 92 in mid-2021.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=joh…

If you think that Johnson Matthey’s new technology will displace oil in the price, scale and distribution of aviation fuel, this could be a terrific buying opportunity.

Wendy :slight_smile:

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There’s always that pesky 2nd Law of Thermodynamics that often ruins such grandiose plans.

Yes, those sort of chemical reactions to produce a usable aviation fuel are possible, but at what energy cost? Those energy costs translate into an overall price per gallon. Unless the costs are below that of drilling and refining petroleum, I don’t think Exxon will be terribly concerned.

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Not a thermodynamics problem - just a cost of energy generation issue that has an easy solution.

Excess renewable energy (solar, wind and hydro) is wasted every day. This free excess energy can be put into producing sustainable aviation fuel.

Read the whole article and you will see.

Jaak

P.S. - In pursuing carbon-neutral growth in aviation, Airbus has started to deliver all aircraft produced at its facility in Mobile, AL, using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blended with conventional jet fuel. SAF can enable up to an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions, according to the announcement. World Energy and Signature Flight Support are partnering to supply the SAF to Airbus.

Airbus Americas CEO and Chairman C. Jeffrey Knittel stated, “Delivering every one of our Mobile-produced aircraft with SAF is an important, iterative step toward solving the carbon challenge. We are committed to making sustainable aviation fuels an everyday reality with use on an increasingly larger scale.”

So far, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, American Airlines, and Breeze Airways have already received aircraft from the manufacturing facility in Mobile via deliveries that use a blend of SAF. The aircraft produced at the facility includes both A220 and A320 Family aircraft.

https://www.aviationtoday.com/2022/01/13/airbus-uses-sustain…

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I have seen great alternate fuels proposals spring up for nearly 50 years, and they always fall down on cost.

The greatest problem with solar and wind is dark and calm. Both happen frequently. They would be great for intermittent use. So, we are talking about a cryo air separation plant to produce the CO2, plus an electrolysis plant to produce the H2, plus the plant to put the CO2 and H2 together.

Steve

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Right now, Johnson Matthey (JMPLF) is running at a loss. It doesn’t have a P/E ratio (no earnings) and doesn’t pay a dividend. The share price is 54, down from 92 in mid-2021.

Johnson Matthey is known for the noble metals like platinum usually used in catalytic converters. The developing Electric Vehicle business threatens a core business.

They may very well need this new business to survive.

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If you think that Johnson Matthey’s new technology will displace oil in the price, scale and distribution of aviation fuel, this could be a terrific buying opportunity.

I think that synthetic hydrocarbons WILL be an important component of displacing fossil-oil production…

… eventually.

But not before the comparative cost of each changes quite a bit.

As for this specific technology, producing the hydrogen is going to take either hydrocarbons (releasing CO2 in the process) or energy - or maybe both. Then getting the hydrogen to combine with carbon dioxide to produce hydrocarbons and free oxygen is going to take more energy.

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There’s always that pesky 2nd Law of Thermodynamics that often ruins such grandiose plans.

Fischer Tropsch is a technology that makes small fortunes out of large ones. :innocent:

The Captain
how often does it have to fail?

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Excess renewable energy (solar, wind and hydro) is wasted every day.

Sure you could produce a few gallons of fuel with the otherwise wasted wind/solar.
But to provide the fuel for tens of thousands of flights everyday (US: 45 million gallons per day) you’d have to build out lots more renewable capacity and have it adequately sized for all 4 seasons and/or have a significant storage capacity. What do you now do with the wasted energy when your storage is full?

Mike

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Sure you could produce a few gallons of fuel with the otherwise wasted wind/solar.

But to provide the fuel for tens of thousands of flights everyday (US: 45 million gallons per day) you’d have to build out lots more renewable capacity and have it adequately sized for all 4 seasons and/or have a significant storage capacity.

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Currently in excess of 225,000 MWhr of wind/solar per month are often curtailed in California. That will do much more than make a few gallons of aviation fuel.

We have the storage capacity for current aviation fuel which can be converted to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) storage.

Currently there are many programs underway to produce hydrogen with nuclear power plants and renewables. Exciting changes being explored.

Of course we will need to build more renewables to produce this hydrogen for making SAF. This will take time and money but it will be done to prevent more climate catastrophes which cost even more.

Jaak

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Switching to sustainable fuel is key to its “jet zero” strategy to turn aviation green, which it touts as a plan to offer “guilt-free flying”.

Flying is responsible for 8% of UK emissions and around 2.4% globally, and also releases other forms of pollution.

The lack of alternatives makes the carbon intensive industry one of the hardest to decarbonise as the world works towards net zero emissions by 2050.

DB2