SOLAR-JET: Renewable Kerosene from Sunlight

A process for producing aviation kerosene using carbon dioxide, water, and concentrated solar radiation was demonstrated in a European Union-funded project. CO2 and water are converted to syngas by a redox cycle with metal-oxide based materials in a concentrated thermochemical reactor. The final step occurs in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, a route already approved to produce commercial aviation fuel. Solar reactor optimization and process economics will be studied in the next phase of the Solar chemical reactor demonstration and Optimization for Long-term Availability of Renewable JET fuel (SOLAR-JET) program.