Sichuan Jinxiang, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, has developed the world’s first pilot-scale facility for the \"catalyst development and process validation\" of full-component aviation fuel produced using thousand-ton-scale green hydrogen to neutralize carbon dioxide

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Recently, the pilot-scale installation for the \"catalyst development and process validation\" of the world’s first thousand-ton-per-year facility for producing jet fuel using green hydrogen to neutralize carbon dioxide, jointly developed by Sichuan Jinxiang Sairui Chemical Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Chuan Jinxiang) and the research team led by Professors Wei Fei and Zhang Chenxi from Tsinghua University, has seen the core equipment, the STA reactor, successfully installed in place. The precise landing of this 80-tonne “heart device” marks a key step forward in taking Chinese technology aimed at overcoming the carbon challenges in the aviation industry to industrial-scale validation. It is reported that the carbon emissions from the aviation industry account for 2% to 3% of global total emissions, and the reliance on petroleum-based conventional aviation fuel represents a challenge in achieving a green transformation. The new technology developed by this team uses green hydrogen and carbon dioxide as raw materials, and through an original series of catalysts and innovative processes, it directly synthesizes kerosene that meets aviation standards, thus turning waste into treasure. Professor Wei Fei said that the team’s technology has overcome three key challenges: an efficient catalyst addresses the issue of carbon dioxide activation, while an innovative process enables a one-step conversion of \"green hydrogen + carbon dioxide\" into liquid aviation fuel, with product properties that fully meet aviation fuel standards. The combination of over a decade of technical expertise and industrialization experience has enabled this technology, which transforms carbon emissions into zero carbon emissions, to reach the pilot production stage. The STA (Syngas-to-Aromatics) reactor that is being installed here is the core component of this conversion process, and the precision of its installation directly affects the efficiency of the entire system. Once the lifting was successful, the team immediately conducted a review to make improvements. The installation of the equipment means that the pilot plant moves from design stage to actual physical form, laying the foundation for subsequent commissioning. The pilot test was successful, and this technology will offer a solution for the world that combines the high-value utilization of green electricity with the use of fossil fuel alternatives – 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide can be reduced per ton of jet fuel used. With an annual global demand of 350 million tons, this could result in more than 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions being reduced each year. Tang Yin said that Chuanjinxiang has planned a three-step approach: completing a pilot production scale of 1,000 tons by 2026, launching demonstration projects on a scale of 50,000–100,000 tons in 2027, and achieving mass production by 2030. For all facilities and key catalysts at each stage, Chuanjinxiang will handle the design work itself, with key equipment and materials to be sourced domestically. As aviation fuel synthesized from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide soars into the sky, Chinese technology is shaping new possibilities for global low-carbon transformation.