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Zero Petroleum’s small-scale synthetic fuel plant has been in operation in the UK since mid-2023.
Zero Petroleum has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to enable commercial-scale adoption of the UK startup’s synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a 100% drop-in replacement for fossil jet fuel.
Zero has previously signed agreements with Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
Zero is developing a process that produces a 100% SAF from renewable energy, captured atmospheric CO2 and water. A small-scale plant, Zero.1, has been operational at Bicester Heritage, England, since June 2023.
The startup plans to have its first commercial-scale plant operational by 2026 near Oxford, England. The facility will have on-site direct air capture systems to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Renewable electricity will produce hydrogen (H2) by the electrolysis of water.
The CO2 and H2 gases will be stored for use in the synthesis of liquid fuels using DirectFT, the company’s proprietary version of the Fischer-Tropsch process. This combines the CO2 and H2 to produce syngas, which is further processed to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
By removing the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere as is emitted by burning the SAF in aircraft engines, the process has a carbon-neutral life cycle, Zero says.
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