PSI and Metafuels open demonstration plant

(CONNECT) PSI and Metafuels, which was officially founded in 2021 and is based in Adliswil in the Swiss canton of Zurich, have together inaugurated a demonstration plant at the PSI campus for their kerosene which is manufactured by way of a particularly efficient production process. Here, nascent aerobrew technology is now being operated for the first time in an industrially relevant plant design. According to a statement issued by PSI, the opening ceremony was attended by more than 150 guests from the worlds of science, politics and industry, as well as the energy sector. These included Dieter Egli, a member of the Aargau Cantonal Government, Francine Zimmermann, Director of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, and Jens Fehlinger, CEO of Swiss International Airlines.

Aerobrew is an innovative catalytic process for the production of a synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) developed and patented by PSI researchers and the Metafuels team. PSI Director Christian Rüegg described the inauguration of the plant as an important milestone in efforts to achieve a more sustainable aviation industry. “We are proud that our cutting-edge research is making a crucial contribution to this step towards industrial production”, he adds. Moreover, PSI researcher Marco Ranocchiari states that the demonstration plant “will allow us to further optimize the technology and create the conditions for industrial production”.

The aerobrew process does not necessarily require any fossil fuels. Hydrogen is produced from water using sustainable energy before then being processed into green methanol using carbon dioxide sourced either from biogenic origins or in the long term directly from the atmosphere. The aerobrew technology converts this green methanol into sustainable aviation fuel.

“International travel and global supply chains will continue to depend on air transport”, explains Saurabh Kapoor, CEO of Metafuels. “That’s why we have developed a product that can be integrated into existing airport infrastructure and used in conventional jet engines, while at the same time significantly reducing climate-damaging emissions”. Starting in 2030, Metafuels is planning to operate the first commercial plant with aerobrew technology. ce/mm