Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, alongside SkyNRG and Climeworks are taking the next step in realising Zenid – a demonstration plant producing fully circular sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from air.
With the global aviation industry now more focused on sustainability than ever before as it looks to ‘build back better’ following the global COVID-19 pandemic, SAF made from air via direct air capture offers a carbon-neutral solution for aviation and contributes to the aviation industry’s net-zero targets.
The consortium has agreed to investigate the construction of a demonstration plant producing fully circular SAF with 100% CO2 derived from teh air. The plant will be powered by regionally sourced renewable energy and combines several innovative technologies: a direct air capture plant provides CO2 to a highly efficient co-electrolysis unit, that turns the CO2 and added water into syngas. The syngas is then transformed into liquid hydrocarbons by a modular Fischer-Tropsch reactor and then refined into SAF.
Ron Louwerse from Rotterdam The Hague Airport commented that the airport is proud to be one of the kick-starters of the groundbreaking project together with the Schiphol Group and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA). “It fits exceptionally well within our strategy to facilitate and accelerate sustainability and innovation in aviation, to be at the cradle of SAF made of CO2 from air. We support this project with our know how and local networks.”
Global energy company Uniper, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support Zenid with engineering and operating expertise.
