Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies, has launched an innovative technology, HyCOgenTM – designed to play a pivotal role in enabling the conversion of captured carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). By combining HyCOgen with FT CANS Fischer Tropsch, an award-winning technology, the conglomerate offers an integrated, scalable solution for use in the efficient and cost-effective production of renewable power-based sustainable aviation fuel.
Johnson Matthey’s Reverse Water Gas Shift technology HyCOgen is a catalysed process aimed at converting green hydrogen and CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO), which is then combined with additional hydrogen to form synthesis gas (syngas). This gas is the crucial building block in the manufacture of fuels and chemicals. The integration with the FT CANS technology provides an end-to-end, optimised and highly scalable process. It thus turns over 95% of the CO2 into high-quality synthetic crude oil. This synthetic crude oil can be further be upgraded into sustainable drop-in fuel products and can be used in a bunch of application measures including aviation fuels, renewable diesel, and the production of naphtha. The scalability of the integrated HyCOgen/FT CANS solution enables cost-effective deployment across a wide range of project sizes – from small-scale, fed by hydrogen from a single electrolyser, through to world-scale with multiple large electrolyser modules.
The aviation industry is responsible for 12% of transport-related CO2 emissions globally. Substantial production of low carbon intensity SAF is therefore essential to mitigate emissions. Johnson Matthey’s HyCOgen solution, along with the FT CANS technology, can help increase the supply of SAF through its efficient production at scale.
Jane Toogood, Sector Chief Executive of Johnson Matthey, elaborating the same commented that “given the challenges associated with new propulsion technologies and airport infrastructure, plus the long asset life of aircraft, there are significant hurdles in moving from hydrocarbon-based aviation fuel to alternatives such as battery electric or hydrogen. This is where Johnson Matthey’s longstanding expertise and market-leading position in syngas generation technology can play a crucial role, by providing solutions that enable the production of sustainable drop-in fuels that are deployable today.” He further added that by combining HyCOgen with FT CANS, the company can now deliver customers a cost-efficient, reliable, and scalable technology to help increase SAF production, backed by our track record of successful technology development and commercialisation. The integrated HyCOgen/FT CANS solution is available now from Johnson Matthey.
