China breakthrough projected to push sustainable jet fuel gross profit margin past 50%
Chinese researchers have developed a catalyst that converts synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel – a breakthrough that could boost production, help meet net-zero carbon goals and yield a gross profit margin exceeding 50 per cent. The team verified the efficacy of the chemical catalyst in a thousand-tonne pilot test and found that combining woody biomass-derived synthesis gas, or syngas, with…
Chinese scientists have developed a novel catalyst that converts synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel, a discovery that could significantly increase production capacity, aid in achieving net-zero carbon goals, and generate a gross profit margin exceeding 50 percent. The researchers tested the catalyst in a pilot project involving one thousand tonnes of syngas, demonstrating its effectiveness in producing high-quality jet fuel.
According to a techno-economic analysis, a 100,000-tonnes-per-year facility could achieve a gross profit margin surpassing 50 percent. The team, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, also established design principles to overcome selectivity limitations during syngas conversion, setting a new standard for the industry.
Sustainable aviation fuel, produced from non-fossil fuel feedstocks like woodland biomass, cooking oil, and municipal solid waste, has the potential to reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by around 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel. The aviation sector contributes around 2-3 percent of global human-made carbon dioxide emissions, and the International Civil Aviation Organization aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Currently, sustainable aviation fuel production stands at just 2.4 million tonnes, or 0.8 percent of total global jet fuel consumption. While several chemical pathways exist to produce sustainable aviation fuel, the syngas conversion method is anticipated to be critical for meeting 2050 targets. This approach offers high feedstock flexibility, proven industrial infrastructure, and the ability to generate fully drop-in hydrocarbon fuels.
The Chinese researchers identified a new cobalt-manganese catalyst capable of converting nearly 83 percent of carbon monoxide and achieving a selectivity of over 67 percent for jet-fuel range hydrocarbons, surpassing the performance of previous catalysts. The team plans to build a 100,000-tonnes-per-year factory in Luzhou, China, using biomass gasification-derived syngas by 2028.
Based on their projections, the plant could generate an estimated US$302 million in annual revenue, with an estimated gross profit of US$165 million, resulting in a gross profit margin of nearly 55 percent.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
