CO as a Building Block for Synthetic Fuels
Synthetic hydrocarbons – such as methanol, e-fuels, and sustainable aviation fuel – are traditionally produced through CO-rich syngas. For decades, industry has relied on syngas (a mix of CO and H₂) as the standard feedstock for large-scale fuel and chemical production.
Why CO matters
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Avoiding waste of hydrogen: In direct CO₂-to-fuel synthesis routes, valuable hydrogen is consumed just to convert CO₂ into CO – releasing water as a useless byproduct. This wastes green hydrogen, the most expensive input in e-fuels.
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Reducing electrolyzer demand: By supplying CO instead of CO₂, less hydrogen is needed, cutting down the required size and cost of electrolyzers.
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Simpler fuel synthesis: In methanol and other hydrocarbon production, separating and handling water is costly. With CO-rich syngas, water formation is reduced or even eliminated, lowering both capital and operating expenses.
Cost advantage
In today’s projects, using CO-rich syngas can reduce overall costs by 25–30% compared to direct CO₂ conversion. For a large-scale project worth several billion euros, this translates into hundreds of millions in savings – without compromising output or reliability.
Proven pathway
CO and syngas upgrading is well-established, industrial-scale technology. Unlike unproven shortcuts, it builds on decades of experience in Fischer–Tropsch, methanol, and fuel synthesis. Our innovation is making this proven pathway compatible with renewable electricity and CO₂ utilization.
In short, CO enables faster, cheaper, and more reliable production of synthetic fuels – helping industries scale up clean alternatives with confidence.
CO as an Electro-Fuel
Our technology turns CO₂ into CO – a clean and versatile fuel gas – by using electricity. In this process, electrical energy is stored in chemical form.