Climate-compatible, resilient fuels for aviation
Making aviation more sustainable requires new energy carriers. Electricity-based fuels – known as Power-to-Liquid fuels (PtL) – play a central role here, as aircraft operating on longer routes cannot be electrified, or can only be so with great difficulty. They can also serve as storable energy carriers within a resilient energy system. We develop end-to-end solutions across the entire value chain of these sustainably produced fuels – known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) – from production through to the targeted tailoring of fuel properties, a process referred to as fuel design.
With the Power-to-Liquid Fuels Technology Platform (TPP), we are establishing a globally unique research facility in Leuna, eastern Germany. For the first time, it replicates the complete process chain for producing these fuels at semi-industrial scale – from the raw materials hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO₂), through synthesis, to the finished, ready-to-use fuel. The goal is to accelerate the market ramp-up of PtL fuels and address the technical challenges associated with scaling up production. The construction and research operation of the TPP are being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) with nearly 290 million euros as part of the overarching ‘Renewable Fuels’ concept.
Fuel design focuses on the application-oriented optimisation of fuel composition. Using an interactive fuel database, the chemical and physical properties are engineered so that combustion in aircraft engines produces minimal soot particles and nitrogen oxides. Fuel design can therefore further reduce the non-CO₂ effects of air transport and thus aviation’s overall climate impact.
By combining large-scale research infrastructure with fuel development, we are making a decisive contribution to the defossilisation of transport.
Link:
German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR)
Institute of Combustion Technology
E-Mail contact-dlr@DLR.de
