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Perspective | Open Access

Fueling the future: Innovating the path to carbon-neutral skies with CO2-to-aviation fuel

Guo Tian1, Chenxi Zhang1,2,3 ( ), Fei Wei1,2 ( )
Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Ordos Laboratory, Ordos 017010, China
Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Graphical Abstract

This work reviews some innovative approaches to achieving carbon neutrality in aviation by converting CO2 to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), assessing the feasibility of current CO2-to-jet fuel conversion methodologies and their potential environmental and economic impacts.

Abstract

Considering the increasing concerns regarding climate change, a fundamental transformation in global energy policies is imperative, particularly within the aviation sector, which is historically anchored in the consumption of fossil fuels. This perspective presents a scholarly evaluation of the progression from deep-rooted fossil-fuel-dependent technologies to innovative strategies aimed at carbon neutrality, specifically focusing on the formulation of sustainable aviation fuel from CO2. An analytical review of the cutting-edge methodologies for CO2-to-jet fuel conversion is provided, and the practicality of current industrial models are assessed. This perspective explores the intricate consequences of adopting such groundbreaking technologies and evaluates their technical practicability, economic feasibility, and environmental advantages. The insights obtained from this study will substantially contribute to the discussion on energy sustainability, emphasizing the synergy between sophisticated CO2 conversion processes and the overarching goal of realizing global carbon neutrality.

Keywords

carbon neutralCO2aviation fuel

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Carbon Future
Volume 1 Issue 2,
June 2024
Article number: 9200010
DOI: 10.26599/CF.2024.9200010
Cite this article:
Tian G, Zhang C, Wei F. Fueling the future: Innovating the path to carbon-neutral skies with CO2-to-aviation fuel. Carbon Future, 2024, 1(2): 9200010. https://doi.org/10.26599/CF.2024.9200010

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Received: 22 November 2023
Revised: 10 February 2024
Accepted: 02 March 2024
Published: 10 April 2024
© The Author(s) 2024.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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