A solar tower fuel plant for the thermochemical production of kerosene from H2O and CO2

Abstract

Developing solar technologies for producing carbon-neutral avia- tion fuels has become a global energy challenge, but their readiness level has largely been limited to laboratory-scale studies. Here, we report on the experimental demonstration of a fully integrated ther- mochemical production chain from H2O and CO2 to kerosene using concentrated solar energy in a solar tower configuration. The co- splitting of H2O and CO2 was performed via a ceria-based thermo- chemical redox cycle to produce a tailored mixture of H2 and CO (syngas) with full selectivity, which was further processed to kero- sene. The 50-kW solar reactor consisted of a cavity-receiver contain- ing a reticulated porous structure directly exposed to a mean solar flux concentration of 2,500 suns. A solar-to-syngas energy conver- sion efficiency of 4.1% was achieved without applying heat recov- ery. This solar tower fuel plant was operated with a setup relevant to industrial implementation, setting a technological milestone to- ward the production of sustainable aviation fuels.