A demonstration project in Finland is using carbon dioxide (CO2) captured directly from the air to develop sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF). Soletair Power, a Finnish direct air capture (DAC) company, has delivered a batch of CO2 extracted from ambient air to Liquid Sun, a CO2 utilization specialist, to help refine synthetic aviation fuel feedstocks. This project is part of Liquid Sun’s industrial demonstration of eSAF technology, using low-temperature electrolysis to convert CO2 into fuel.
This collaboration aims to utilize CO2 captured from the air to produce eSAF, which could significantly reduce the aviation industry’s carbon footprint. Finland is a leader in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, with plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2035. The country is actively promoting CCUS through various projects, including the use of biogenic CO2 from industries like forestry and waste incineration to create materials like plastics, chemicals, and fuels.
Finland is also working with neighboring Norway on the permanent storage of CO2 beneath the seabed, which aligns with Norway’s ‘Longship’ project, including the Northern Lights CO2 storage facility, the first cross-border, open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure network in Europe. This collaboration demonstrates the country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the development of sustainable technologies. The success of this demonstration project could pave the way for further applications of CO2 capture and utilization in the aviation and energy sectors.