Japan’s Sekisui, Velocys team up to advance e-SAF tech

Japanese multinational chemical company and plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemical said it has partnered with Velocys to advance production technology for electro-sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF).

Under the partnership, Sekisui will combine CO2→CO chemical looping technology with Velocys’ Fischer-Tropsch (FT) microchannel reactor technology to enable production of synthetic fuels using CO2 as a feedstock.

The joint project will establish a new e-SAF manufacturing technology by combining Sekisui Chemical’s CO chemical looping reaction technology with Velocys’ FT reaction technology (synthetic gas → synthetic fuel).

The agreement also includes potential to establish a e-SAF manufacturing technology using CO2 as a raw material.

Sekisui Chemical is developing CO2 capture and utilisation (CCU) technology converting CO2 into fuel and chemical products. CCU technology enables the reuse of CO2 as a valuable resource and replaces fossil resources, thereby reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

To date, the company has developed a unique chemical looping technology that converts CO2 into CO with a high reaction yield (90% or higher).

Moreover, Velocys has been developing FT reaction technology for the manufacture of synthetic fuels from synthetic gas (a mixture of CO and H2) converted from municipal waste, industrial waste, biomass, and CO2 for over 20 years.

The company claims its ts proprietary catalyst and microchannel reactor design have established productivity six to ten times higher than conventional FT reaction technology.