Designing the materials for production of tailored and sustainable aviation fuels from waste CO2 and water
Lead Research Organisation:
Northumbria University
Department Name: Fac of Engineering and Environment
Abstract
Development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from renewable resources is critical to help UK to
transition to a low carbon future. This project aims to produce sustainable and tailored jet fuels by
designing novel materials (photo-electrocatalysts) using renewable energy from industrially
sourced CO2. For the aviation industry, it is vital that the jet fuel should comprise of single and
tailored hydrocarbon instead of a mixture or blend of fuels to maximize the fuel efficiency which
is a grand challenge for scientific community. In this project, twostep process will be carried out
to obtain "tailored" jet fuel molecules. In the first step, CO2 will be converted to C1, C2 molecules
using binary copper alloys (CuIn, CuSn) and then novel catalyst materials will be designed (multimetallic)
to "stitch" C1,C2 compounds together to obtain tailored SAF. For this purpose, an
integrated materials design (bottom-up method to develop novel Copper based photo-electrodes)
and engineering for reactor design (top-down method to tailor heat and mass transport
parameters influencing reaction conditions) approach will be implemented towards tailored and
sustainable jet fuel production.
Following key skills will be gained during this project;
1. Materials Synthesis (Copper based binary and ternary compounds): Electrochemical, Softchemistry
routes
2. Materials characterisation: Electron Microscopy, AFM, Electrochemical techniques
3. Analytical: GC (TCD, FID, BID), HPLC
4. Reactor design: 3D printing, COMSOL simulations
This multidisciplinary project unites leading Universities (Northumbria, Newcastle) and industry
(Airbus) to conduct transformative research on SAF which will have a strong impact on society
and economy, particularly in the energy sector and associated materials and process industries.
transition to a low carbon future. This project aims to produce sustainable and tailored jet fuels by
designing novel materials (photo-electrocatalysts) using renewable energy from industrially
sourced CO2. For the aviation industry, it is vital that the jet fuel should comprise of single and
tailored hydrocarbon instead of a mixture or blend of fuels to maximize the fuel efficiency which
is a grand challenge for scientific community. In this project, twostep process will be carried out
to obtain "tailored" jet fuel molecules. In the first step, CO2 will be converted to C1, C2 molecules
using binary copper alloys (CuIn, CuSn) and then novel catalyst materials will be designed (multimetallic)
to "stitch" C1,C2 compounds together to obtain tailored SAF. For this purpose, an
integrated materials design (bottom-up method to develop novel Copper based photo-electrodes)
and engineering for reactor design (top-down method to tailor heat and mass transport
parameters influencing reaction conditions) approach will be implemented towards tailored and
sustainable jet fuel production.
Following key skills will be gained during this project;
1. Materials Synthesis (Copper based binary and ternary compounds): Electrochemical, Softchemistry
routes
2. Materials characterisation: Electron Microscopy, AFM, Electrochemical techniques
3. Analytical: GC (TCD, FID, BID), HPLC
4. Reactor design: 3D printing, COMSOL simulations
This multidisciplinary project unites leading Universities (Northumbria, Newcastle) and industry
(Airbus) to conduct transformative research on SAF which will have a strong impact on society
and economy, particularly in the energy sector and associated materials and process industries.
Planned Impact
ReNU's enhanced doctoral training programme delivered by three uniquely co-located major UK universities, Northumbria (UNN), Durham (DU) and Newcastle (NU), addresses clear skills needs in small-to-medium scale renewable energy (RE) and sustainable distributed energy (DE). It was co-designed by a range of companies and is supported by a balanced portfolio of 27 industrial partners (e.g. Airbus, Siemens and Shell) of which 12 are small or medium size enterprises (SMEs) (e.g. Enocell, Equiwatt and Power Roll). A further 9 partners include Government, not-for-profit and key network organisations. Together these provide a powerful, direct and integrated pathway to a range of impacts that span whole energy systems.
Industrial partners will interact with ReNU in three main ways: (1) through the Strategic Advisory Board; (2) by providing external input to individual doctoral candidate's projects; and (3) by setting Industrial Challenge Mini-Projects. These interactions will directly benefit companies by enabling them to focus ReNU's training programme on particular needs, allowing transfer of best practice in training and state-of-the-art techniques, solution approaches to R&D challenges and generation of intellectual property. Access to ReNU for new industrial partners that may wish to benefit from ReNU is enabled by the involvement of key networks and organisations such as the North East Automotive Alliance, the Engineering Employer Federation, and Knowledge Transfer Network (Energy).
In addition to industrial partners, ReNU includes Government organisations and not for-profit-organisations. These partners provide pathways to create impact via policy and public engagement. Similarly, significant academic impact will be achieved through collaborations with project partners in Singapore, Canada and China. This impact will result in research excellence disseminated through prestigious academic journals and international conferences to the benefit of the global community working on advanced energy materials.
Industrial partners will interact with ReNU in three main ways: (1) through the Strategic Advisory Board; (2) by providing external input to individual doctoral candidate's projects; and (3) by setting Industrial Challenge Mini-Projects. These interactions will directly benefit companies by enabling them to focus ReNU's training programme on particular needs, allowing transfer of best practice in training and state-of-the-art techniques, solution approaches to R&D challenges and generation of intellectual property. Access to ReNU for new industrial partners that may wish to benefit from ReNU is enabled by the involvement of key networks and organisations such as the North East Automotive Alliance, the Engineering Employer Federation, and Knowledge Transfer Network (Energy).
In addition to industrial partners, ReNU includes Government organisations and not for-profit-organisations. These partners provide pathways to create impact via policy and public engagement. Similarly, significant academic impact will be achieved through collaborations with project partners in Singapore, Canada and China. This impact will result in research excellence disseminated through prestigious academic journals and international conferences to the benefit of the global community working on advanced energy materials.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Shahid Rasul (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Ian Brewis (Student) |
Publications
Brewis I
(2022)
Combining experimental and theoretical insights for reduction of CO2 to multi-carbon compounds
in Discover Chemical Engineering
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/S023836/1 | 01/04/2019 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2283256 | Studentship | EP/S023836/1 | 01/10/2019 | 31/12/2023 | Ian Brewis |
| Description | Through the incorporation of sub-surface Pt layers within Cu-based electrocatalytic alloys, it was found that the intermediary binding energy of carbonaceous products formed through electrochemical CO2 reduction can be tuned toward a specific product range with Pt deposition depth. This effect operates independently of other promotional effects resulting from additional alloying, such as improved hydrophobicity through In surface deposition, reducing the competing impact of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). In combination, a CuInPt tri-metallic electrocatalyst demonstrates an improved production of multi-carbon products such as ethylene, whilst still maintaining a relatively low loss of Faradaic efficiency through competing reactions such as HER for cases where Pt is sputtered near the catalytic surface. Computational results examined via density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest, though a change in the electronic structure of the catalyst can be observed for the case of atomic CuInPt catalysts, the binding of carbonaceous intermediates such as CO is not hindered even for the case of Pt neighboring In, whilst In maintains its role as a protective, hydrophobic coating, maintaining a high selectivity of the electrocatalyst toward carbonaceous species. |
| Exploitation Route | The use of tri-metallic electrocatalyst systems pose a new avenue of research within the field of electrocatalysis. Many single metal and bi-metallic alloys have been examined and optimized through numerous studies into catalyst morphology. The improvements brought on by the introduction of a 3rd metal centre provide a simple and effective method of binding energy optimization, however additional work could further improve such effects through both experimental and computational means. From the stand-point of industry. The high selectivity of carbonaceous species resulting from CuInPt electrocatalysts at low overpotentials suggests an effective alternative to costly thermocatalysts for the formation of light hydrocarbons from waste CO2. High purity light hydrocarbons can, in the short term, be converted to fuels through Fischer-Tropsch processes, or further investigated to produce energy dense liquid fuels through one-pot synthesis. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Description | Butler Meeting 2020 Virtual Poster Competition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Virtual poster presentation competition conducted via twitter on behalf of the Butler meeting. Participants were asked to display their work online to compare with fellow post-graduate students . PhD projects were then ranked by popular vote conducted by the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | CO2 Utilisation Faraday Discussion |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Virtual poster and oral presentation of research progress as part of CO2 Utilisation Faraday Discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | CREATE-ReNU Join CDT Collaboration Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation of research progress as part of CDT ReNU. Research progress was shared via a virtual conference examining international collaborative efforts between UK-based CDT ReNU and Canandian based CDT CREATE. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | ISE 31st Topical Meeting of the International Society of Chemistry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attendance and participation in a 5 day international conference based in Aachen Germany. Research was presented as an A0 poster and discussed with fellow researchers within the field of electrochemistry. Attendance was intended as a possibility for networking and collaboration within the field, as well as to discuss recent research progress with experts in the field, resulting in advice in future directions to take the computational aspects of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://topical31.ise-online.org/ |
| Description | NEEM 7 Presentation of Findings with Industry Specialists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Oral and poster presentation of research progress to industry and academic professionals conducted annually at Northumbria University campus as part of CDT ReNU. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021 |
| Description | NEEM 8 Presentation of Findings with Industry Specialists |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation of research findings presented to ReNU CDT industry partners examining the ongoing progress of the PhD project, as well as the opportunity to network and interact with industry professionals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Vasp Workshop KAUST |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation of current research progress presented to university staff and post-graduate computational chemistry students based at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |