The company says more than 95% of what it produces falls within the transportation fuel range, and 75% of that is upgraded into SAF that meets global standards for aviation use.
By Shula Rosen
An Israeli startup says it has found a cheaper, more efficient way to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by solving one of the industry’s biggest problems: hydrogen.
SAF is made by converting waste into jet fuel, but the process usually needs a lot of hydrogen.
Producing and handling hydrogen is expensive and complicated, especially since it often needs high pressure or freezing temperatures.
Most existing SAF methods also require hydrogen-rich materials, which are limited and costly.
Tel Aviv-based NGV is taking a different approach. Instead of trying to add more hydrogen, the company built its process to work with waste sources that are naturally low in hydrogen, such as carbon dioxide, gasified biomass and biogas from landfills.
“Our system is built for these low-hydrogen materials,” said Tomy Hos, NGV’s chief technology officer, told SAFInvestor. “It lets us use cheaper and more widely available feedstocks.”
At the heart of NGV’s process is a special iron-based catalyst developed by Prof. Moti Herskowitz, a former adviser to ExxonMobil.
The catalyst helps turn gas into liquid fuel without creating unwanted byproducts. The company says the process improves efficiency, cuts costs and uses less water and steam than traditional methods.
The results at NGV’s pilot facility are promising. The company says more than 95% of what it produces falls within the transportation fuel range, and 75% of that is upgraded into SAF that meets global standards for aviation use.
To expand, NGV has partnered with Hadean, a company that makes high-temperature electrolyzers, to support the production of SAF from captured CO2. The next step is building a demonstration plant using biogas as a feedstock. NGV is currently raising $5 million for the project.
CEO Arie Sussely says the company is looking for partners — including airlines, fuel makers and waste companies — to help bring its technology to market and make sustainable fuel more affordable.
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