An integrated solar tower produces carbon-free jet fuel.

A mechanism for producing aviation fuel that employs water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and sunlight has been developed by researchers.

We are the first to show the entire thermochemical process chain in a fully integrated solar tower system, from water and CO2 to kerosene, claims Aldo Steinfeld, an ETH Zurich professor. The majority of prior efforts to create aviation fuels using solar energy were conducted in laboratories.

The global anthropogenic emissions causing climate change that are attributable to the aviation industry are around 5% of the total. Kerosene, also known as jet fuel, is a liquid hydrocarbon fuel that is primarily made from crude oil and is heavily used in it. On a worldwide scale, there isn't currently a clean option for long-haul commercial aircraft.

"With the help of our solar technology, we have demonstrated that synthetic kerosene can be made using CO2 and water rather than fossil fuels. Kerosene combustion in a jet engine produces the same amount of CO2 as it does during production in a solar power plant "Says Steinfeld(The Researcher). That renders the fuel carbon neutral, particularly if CO2 directly absorbed from the air is added in the not-too-distant future.

Steinfeld and his colleagues have created a system that uses solar energy to create drop-in fuels, which are synthetic substitutes for fossil-derived fuels like kerosene and diesel. This system is a part of the European Union's SUN-to-LIQUID project. According to Steinfeld, solar-produced kerosene is completely compatible with the current aviation infrastructure for fuel storage, delivery, and final application in jet engines. He says that it can also be combined with kerosene made from fossil sources.

The team began scalability testing in 2017 and constructed a solar fuel production facility at the IMDEA Energy Institute in Spain. A solar reactor located on top of a tower is heated by solar energy that is redirected and concentrated by 169 sun-tracking reflecting panels in the facility. Syngas is then delivered to a gas-to-liquid converter, where it is ultimately converted into liquid hydrocarbon fuels like kerosene and diesel.

According to Steinfeld, "This solar tower fuel factory was run with an industrial implementation configuration, setting a technological milestone towards the generation of sustainable aviation fuels." his team is putting a lot of effort into refining the design to raise the efficiency to figures over 15%.