IHI, ISCE to install CO2-to-SAF pilot in Singapore

Japanese research institute IHI Corporation and Singapore’s Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE) announced that they have partnered up to install a small-scale CO2 and hydrogen-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Singapore.

“We have decided to set up a test equipment to verify a series of processes for synthesising liquid hydrocarbons from hydrogen and CO2 as raw materials for SAF, and to advance the development to the next stage,” said the companies in a statement.

“By September, we plan to install a test device on the ISCE premises, and start testing on a small scale that injects 100 kg of CO2 per day by the end of this year.”

In response to the call from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce airline sector’s CO2 emissions, IHI said that it is working on the development of catalysts and the construction of efficient processes for the production of SAF directly from CO2 and hydrogen.

The companies said that they have developed a new catalyst for SAF synthesis in 2022 and have confirmed that it has world-class performance in laboratory tests to date.

The newly installed test equipment will evaluate the performance and durability of the catalyst.

*The article has been updated to correct an error which mentioned Japan instead of Singapore as the plant’s location.