To convert syngas into fuel, it is compressed into a microstructure reactor and converted into long-chain hydrocarbons using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Also known as syncrude, these hydrocarbons can produce kerosene to burn in jet engines or other chemical products.
Scaling up production
INERATEC, a spin-off from KIT, is commercializing this approach to producing synthetic fuel. It has been tested in real-world conditions to produce over 26 gallons (100 liters) of kerosene a day.
In the future, the researchers also plan to use heat released as vapor during the synthesis process, further increasing its efficiency. Along with its partners, KIT has built the Kopernikus P2X project facility, which is gearing up to produce nearly 80 gallons (300 L) of kerosene a day, eventually scaling up production to a tonne a day in the project’s next phase.