Key Insight 4 - A pathway towards sustainable fuels
03-07-2024
Comparing CCS and CCU for aviation fuel production
Carbon-based e-fuels like e-methanol and e-kerosene are expected to play a key role in making heavy duty transport (long haul truck transport, aviation and sea shipping) more sustainable. These fuels can be produced from CO2 that is captured from fossil point sources or from the atmosphere.
However, in situations where CO2 storage is an option, the question arises whether the production of e-fuels adds value compared to using fossil fuels and underground storage of the captured CO2. A comparative analysis of different e-fuel production configurations, based on a set of Key Performance Indicators, provides answers to this question.
In the short term, the preferred configuration in terms of costs and energy efficiency is to apply carbon capture and storage (CCS) to fossil CO2 point sources (e.g. at coal-fired power plants or blast furnaces), while continuing the use of fossil-based fuels for transport. This approach substantially contributes to avoiding CO2 emissions. Combined with the storage of atmospheric CO2 from direct air capture (DAC), it can even provide a net zero carbon emissions route at relatively low cost.
However, since this configuration still relies on fossil resources, it will not be a long-term sustainable solution. A sensible alternative is to use the CO2 from fossil point sources to produce e-fuels. This requires considerable amounts of renewable electricity and is more costly, but it can stimulate the development of e-fuels production until sufficient renewable electricity and sustainable CO2 are available. For the long term, the only sustainable solution considered in this study is to produce e-fuels using CO2 from DAC. It is the only configuration in the analysis that is net zero and does not rely on fossil fuels and storage of CO2.
Read the full Key Insight #4.
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