(315a) Keynote - Jet Fuel from H2O, CO2, and Solar Energy

The entire production chain for renewable kerosene obtained directly from sunlight, H₂O, and CO₂ has been experimentally demonstrated. The key component of the production process is a high-temperature solar reactor containing a reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) structure made of ceria, which enables the splitting of H₂O and CO₂ via a 2-step thermochemical redox cycle. In the 1^st endothermic reduction step, ceria is reduced using concentrated solar radiation as the energy source of process heat. In the 2^nd exothermic oxidation step, nonstoichiometric ceria reacts with H₂O and CO₂ to form H₂ and CO – syngas – which is finally converted into kerosene by the Fischer-Tropsch process. The RPC features dual-scale porosity for enhanced heat/mass transport and rapid redox kinetics, while 500 consecutive redox cycles further validate material stability and structure robustness. We further report on the thermochemical splitting of CO₂ into separate streams of CO and O₂ with 100% selectivity, 83% molar conversion, and 5.25% solar-to-fuel energy efficiency.

References:

Marxer D., Furler P., Scheffe J., Geerlings H., Falter C., Batteiger V., Sizmann A., Steinfeld A., “Demonstration of the entire production chain to renewable kerosene via solar thermochemical splitting of H₂O and CO₂”, Energy & Fuels 29, pp. 3241-3250, 2015.

Marxer D., Furler P.,Takacs M., Steinfeld A., “Solar thermochemical splitting of CO₂ into separate streams of CO and O₂ with high selectivity, stability, conversion, and efficiency”, Energy & Environmental Science, 2017.