Transforming carbon dioxide into jet fuel using an organic combustion-synthesized Fe-Mn-K catalyst

Benzhen Yao, Tiancun Xiao (), Ofentse A. Makgae, Xiangyu Jie, Sergio Gonzalez-Cortes, Shaoliang Guan, Angus I. Kirkland, Jonathan R. Dilworth, Hamid A. Al-Megren, Saeed M. Alshihri, Peter J. Dobson, Gari P. Owen, John M. Thomas and Peter P. Edwards ()
Additional contact information
Benzhen Yao: University of Oxford
Tiancun Xiao: University of Oxford
Ofentse A. Makgae: University of Oxford
Xiangyu Jie: University of Oxford
Sergio Gonzalez-Cortes: University of Oxford
Shaoliang Guan: Cardiff University
Angus I. Kirkland: University of Oxford
Jonathan R. Dilworth: University of Oxford
Hamid A. Al-Megren: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
Saeed M. Alshihri: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
Peter J. Dobson: The Queen’s College, University of Oxford
Gari P. Owen: Annwvyn Solutions
John M. Thomas: University of Cambridge
Peter P. Edwards: University of Oxford

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract With mounting concerns over climate change, the utilisation or conversion of carbon dioxide into sustainable, synthetic hydrocarbons fuels, most notably for transportation purposes, continues to attract worldwide interest. This is particularly true in the search for sustainable or renewable aviation fuels. These offer considerable potential since, instead of consuming fossil crude oil, the fuels are produced from carbon dioxide using sustainable renewable hydrogen and energy. We report here a synthetic protocol to the fixation of carbon dioxide by converting it directly into aviation jet fuel using novel, inexpensive iron-based catalysts. We prepare the Fe-Mn-K catalyst by the so-called Organic Combustion Method, and the catalyst shows a carbon dioxide conversion through hydrogenation to hydrocarbons in the aviation jet fuel range of 38.2%, with a yield of 17.2%, and a selectivity of 47.8%, and with an attendant low carbon monoxide (5.6%) and methane selectivity (10.4%). The conversion reaction also produces light olefins ethylene, propylene, and butenes, totalling a yield of 8.7%, which are important raw materials for the petrochemical industry and are presently also only obtained from fossil crude oil. As this carbon dioxide is extracted from air, and re-emitted from jet fuels when combusted in flight, the overall effect is a carbon-neutral fuel. This contrasts with jet fuels produced from hydrocarbon fossil sources where the combustion process unlocks the fossil carbon and places it into the atmosphere, in longevity, as aerial carbon - carbon dioxide.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20214-z

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