Supercharging Skies: TU Freiberg's Adventure into Green Aviation Fuel
Dresden University of Technology is exploring climate-friendly jet fuel alternatives. - Exploration of Carbon-Neutral Jet Fuel Alternatives
Look ma, no carbon footprint! The TU Bergakademie Freiberg just dropped a bombshell in the green energy scene. This legendary institution, partnering with the ingenious minds at CAC Engineering from Chemnitz, has built Germany's largest facility for cranking out eco-friendly jet fuel - you heard it, jet fuel! - derived from hydrogen and CO2, courtesy of their brand-new methanol production plant.
Project GreenWings takes flight, thanks to federal funding
This groundbreaking research project receives a boost from funding provided by none other than the German government. With the federal greenlight, TU Freiberg and CAC Engineering plan to refine and perfect this technology, turning it into an industrial reality. Their ultimate goal? Building Germany's first industrial-scale plant for churning out green jet fuel in as little as four to six years.
TU Freiberg's eco-savvy engineers have been nursing the dreams of alternative fuels for cars for quite some time now. Their latest baby, methanol, is born from renewable energy and turns greenhouse gases into golden opportunities. And guess what? Unlike old-school methods, this clean energy goldmine can be manufactured in energy-friendly locations, loaded up, and hauled off to destinations brimming with the infrastructure capable of processing it into jet fuel.[1]
Gone with the wind: Jet fuel of the future lands in 2030
Sustainable aviation fuels (Sustainable Aviation Fuels, or SAF for short) are stepping up to the plate to replace our current dirty jet fuel. Long-haul flights require a heavy dosage of energy, and that's where good ol' jet fuel comes in, much like an unstoppable superhero. The Freiberg team plans to send its first green samples off for official certification in 2026, with the hopes of launching a commercial-scale production plant by the year 2030, boasting an annual capacity of 10,000 tons.[2]
- Project GreenWings
- Freiberg
- TU
- Green Jet Fuel
- Saxony
[1] Green hydrogen production and Power-to-X technologies are making waves in the sustainable energy industry, with EverWind Fuels targeting deliveries of green hydrogen to German offtakers by 2025, as part of efforts to integrate green solutions into transportation sectors.
[2] The Fischer-Tropsch process is being actively investigated as a means of synthesizing syngas from biomass, water, and CO2 using renewable energy. This could potentially pave the way for the production of green fuels.
- The GreenWings project, based in Freiberg, is a federal-funded research initiative that aims to transition jet fuel production from fossil fuels to green hydrogen and CO2.
- TU Freiberg, in partnership with CAC Engineering, is developing a technology to manufacture green jet fuel on an industrial scale, hoping to reduce climate-change emissions from the aviation industry.
- The research programme being carried out by TU Freiberg lies within the field of environmental science, with a significant focus on renewable energy and Power-to-X methodologies.
- The ultimate goal of the research policy surrounding GreenWings is to establish an eco-friendly and sustainable energy industry in Saxony, contributing to the global fight against climate-change.
