Solar-driven direct air capture to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41507161.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67977-x and PMC identifier 12864789.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Renewable energy-powered direct air capture with subsequent utilisation offers a sustainable decarbonisation strategy for a circular economy. Whereas current liquid-based capture technology relies on natural gas combustion for high-temperature calcination, restricting the transition to fully renewable operation. In this study, we show a 1MtCO<sub>2</sub>/year solar-driven process that adopts a hydrogen fluidised solar calciner with onsite catalytic conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> into sustainable aviation fuel. We find that replacing fossil-fuel heating with solar thermal energy lowers electricity consumption by 63% and reduces onsite CO<sub>2</sub> emissions by 59%. The analysis shows that the production cost of sustainable aviation fuel is cost-effective (US$4.62/kg) compared to the conventional process. Geographical sensitivity analysis indicates favourable deployment locations are low-risk countries with high solar irradiance and low hydrogen cost. The predicted results also outline potential economic viability for policymakers and industry investors.