Things are looking good for the green transition. Within a few years, climate neutral aviation fuel might become commercially available. This is the conclusion of a new study, which was conducted by Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviaiton (NISA), the University of Southern Denmark, and NIRAS.

To create sustainable aviation fuel, you need biogas, hydrogen, and CO₂. The biogas is extracted from biomass, such as straw and manure or other types of organic waste. The biogas will be converted to methane, which will then in turn be converted to aviation fuel with the help of hydrogen and CO₂. CO₂ can be harvested from the atmosphere, but it can also be captured in the flue gas from waste incinerator plants.

The study shows that these solutions, called gas-to-liquid-solutions, are technically mature and ready to be exploited commercially, already from 2025. “Gas-to-liquid technologies make for a giant potential,” says Erik C. Wormslev, development manager for Climate, Energy and Resources at NIRAS. “With this study, we have identified the possibility to create fossil free fuel out of materials that don’t have a negative impact on our environment.”