The world's first flight on synthetic fuel was recently successfully carried out by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and Zero Petroleum. The parties thereby set a Guinness World Record for the world's first flight on exclusively synthetic fuel.
The flight was carried out by pilot Peter Hackett in an Ikarus C42 aircraft at Cotswold Airport in the UK. In the process, the aircraft was flying on UL91. This a synthetic fuel manufactured by Zero Petroleum from water and carbon from CO2 sourced from the atmosphere. Renewable energy is used in this production process.
Need for alternative liquid fuel
The initiative is part of Project MARTIN of the British Air Force (RAF). With the project, the British aim to reduce CO2 emissions per flight by 80-90%. RAF's vision is a future where synthetic fuels play a major role in powering fast aircraft, such as fighter jets.
There are other green technologies available for powering aircraft, such as hydrogen and electricity. However, both are not suitable for powering high-performance aircraft, according to the RAF. They call for an alternative liquid fuel. The RAF sees Zero Petroleum's UL91 as an example of this. Zero Petroleum is a British energy company that produces synthetic, non-organic fuels. Specifically, it currently produces petrol, diesel and paraffin. These fuels are all produced through a production process that is completely free of fossil fuels. The company uses atmospheric CO2 and hydrogen in the process.
Fifty times heavier
Zero Petroleum points out that battery packs for aeroplanes are currently fifty times heavier than internal combustion engines. Zero Petroleum also states that the future development of batteries is limited by fundamental laws of nature. According to the company, the energy density of synthetic fuel is 50 times higher than that of batteries and four times higher than that of hydrogen.
UL91 can be used in existing aircraft engines without modification. No loss of power or performance generally occurs in this process. Zero Petroleum claims that synthetic fuels are even superior to fossil fuels. Among other things, they contain no pollutants such as sulphate. Thanks to a better molecular composition, they deliver cleaner combustion.
Who is Zero Petroleum?
Zero Petroleum was founded former Formula 1 engineer Paddy Lowe in collaboration with UK Imperial College chemical science professor Nilay Shah. Lowe is CEO, while Shah is CTO. Together with CFO Nick Parker, they form Zero Petroleum's board.
Zero Petroleum uses a technique called Direct FT in its production process. This is a further development of a process developed by German scholars Fischer and Tropsch for converting a gas mixture of syngas and hydrogen into liquid fuel. The production process consists of about five steps:
- Generating renewable energy, in most cases wind or solar power.
- Electrolysis of water for hydrogen production
- Capturing CO2 from the atmosphere
- Direct FT synthesis to produce desired fuel
- Separation to produce individual certifiable products.
Not to be confused with biofuels or fuel from waste materials
The company points out that synthetic fuel should not be confused with biofuels or fuels made from waste materials. It is a completely industrial process, using renewable energy to produce synthetic fuel. This process can be carried out at almost any location, enabling local production of fuel. This without dependence on foreign supply of raw materials.
Prior to the flight with the Ikarus C42, the UL91 fuel was tested by the company CFS Aero. These tests show that using UL91 gives the engine the same performance as fossil fuel, but at the same time the engine heats up less. The RAF reports that the use of UL91 therefore not only eases the burden on the environment, but can also extend the life of aircraft engines.
Sustainability target
The project contributes to a sustainability goal of the RAF. The British Air Force aims to have a net-zero emissions airport from 2025. The RAF as a whole aims to have net-zero emissions by 2040.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
