Siemens, CAPHENIA team up to scale SAF

Leading technology company Siemens said it has partnered with cleantech company CAPHENIA to scale production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

“Decarbonising aviation cannot be achieved without synthetic fuels. Demand for SAF is growing exponentially, yet production capacity urgently needs to be ramped up,” said Christian Gückel, head of vertical chemicals at Siemens Digital Industries.

“This is exactly where Siemens comes in: with our digitalisation and automation solutions, we are making CAPHENIA’s technology industrially scalable and thus accelerating its global market ramp-up.”

As part of this partnership, Siemens will provide digitalisation and automation solutions for CAPHENIA’s plasma technology, which converts bio-methane into synthesis gas.

The goal is a standardised concept that enables the global rollout of commercial production facilities

CAPHENIA’s technology uses a plasma process to split bio-methane into synthesis gas at temperatures of around 1,500 degrees Celsius.

The company’s Plasma Boudouard Reactor (PBR) integrates three established chemical reactions in one system. The resulting synthesis gas can then be further processed into SAF, renewable diesel, or chemical products – without by-products and with minimal energy losses.

The 3-in-1 process’ advantage is that the heat released when cooling the synthesis gas is used to preheat the incoming bio-methane. This results in a process efficiency of more than 86%, delivering higher energy efficiency, says the company.

“This partnership shows how technology leaders are working together to drive forward the energy transition. Siemens brings the portfolio and expertise to standardise and digitalise our plants,” said Dr. Mark Misselhorn, founder and CEO of CAPHENIA.