Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports CARE-O-SENE project until end of 2026

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports CARE-O-SENE project until end of 2026

 

Hamburg/Berlin, 12 November 2024 – The German-South African CARE-O-SENE consortium, which is developing efficient catalysts for the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a Power-to-Liquid (PtL) basis, has received an extension of its funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) until the end of 2026.

Dr Dirk Schär, co-project manager and Lead Technical Sales Catalyst at Sasol, explains: 'Thanks to the extension from the BMBF, we can intensify our research into regeneration of catalysts. This is an important step for the long-term economic viability and sustainability of the PtL process.’

Research focus: long-lasting catalysts, integrated demonstration and new technologies

In the new CARE-O-SENE project phase, the team focuses on further optimising developed Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysts and increasing their lifespan. This means that the catalysts will need to be replaced less often, the materials they contain can be used more effectively and the FT process will become more sustainable and economical.

Although catalysts are not consumed by definition, in practice they tend to degrade and thus lose activity over time and become less effective. The CARE-O-SENE project is therefore working intensively to improve the ways these catalysts can be restored, increasing their lifespan and, hence, materials circularity. The project team has already reached the most important milestone: the development of a efficient catalyst with a kerosene yield of over 80 per cent.

The recently developed FT catalyst will also be used in a new integrated system that has been developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) which will be able to utilise renewable electricity and sustainable feedstocks into FT synthetic crude product that can be upgraded to SAF. This will not only allow for the demonstration of the entire value chain, but also studies into the impacts of varying feedstock and the fluctuation in renewable power availability on the process.

Another focus of the current project phase is further research into thin-film catalysts. ‘This technology will enable a new generation of Fischer-Tropsch reactors and thus further improve the flexibility of sustainable aviation fuel production,’ explains Dr. Tobias Sontheimer, co-leader of the project and Head of the Strategy Department for Energy and Information at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).

Achieving the goal through global partnerships

At the CARE-O-SENE 'Innovate to Elevate' event on 15 October, Kerstin Annassi, Head of Department Energy Systems at Projektträger Jülich, handed over the funding extension on behalf of the BMBF at the HZB premises in Berlin. She emphasised the importance of international cooperation and close collaboration between research and industry: ‘Only by pooling expertise and resources – across national borders and between research institutes and industry – can we make the progress that is so urgently needed to accelerate the transformation of the aviation industry.’ More information about the event and the full recording can be found here.

The consortium, consisting of the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), INERATEC, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Sasol, can thus continue to make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of aviation.

 

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Press contact:

Torsten Titze, Communications Manager, Sasol
Mobil: +49 173 66 800 90
Torsten.Titze@de.sasol.com

Kerstin Annassi (m.) presents Dr. Dirk Schär (l.) and Dr. Tobias Sontheimer (r.) with the funding extension for CARE-O-SENE on behalf of the BMBF

A catalyst for change: CARE-O-SENE event on decarbonising aviation attracts global attention

A catalyst for change: CARE-O-SENE event on decarbonising aviation attracts global attention

 

What is the future of flying? What innovations are there in the field of clean aviation technology? These and many other questions were discussed on 15 October 2024 at the CARE-O-SENE event "Innovate to Elevate: A Global Collaboration for Decarbonising Aviation". With nearly 200 participants both onsite at the Helmholtz Zentrum in Berlin and online, the hybrid format highlighted the growing global commitment to cleaner skies.

Game-changer sustainable aviation fuel

The event kicked off with virtual opening remarks from Till Mansmann, Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

A dive into CARE-O-SENE's advances in SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) catalyst research was presented by Denzil Moodley, CARE-O-SENE Key Researcher and Senior Scientist Fischer Tropsch at Sasol. One of his key messages emphasised the need to break down barriers – geographical and institutional – to accelerate innovations that can make SAF not only viable, but scalable and cost effective.

SAF plays a critical role in the decarbonisation strategy of DHL, one of the world's leading logistics providers, which was outlined by Volker Ratzmann, EVP of Corporate Public Policy & Regulation Management at DHL. He also pointed out a crucial hurdle: The regulatory uncertainty of producing SAF at scale, a challenge that needs to be addressed to accelerate the industry's green transformation.

Dynamic panel discussion: navigating challenges together

The highlight of the event was a panel discussion with experts from industry and research institutions. The panel explored how global collaboration can help overcome the biggest barriers to SAF adoption, especially in its early stages. Key voices included Kerstin Annassi of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Michael Claeys of the University of Cape Town, Silke Hoppe of Sasol International Chemicals and Catalina Jimenez, – Group Leader, Energy Materials In-Situ Laboratory (EMIL), HZB. The panel agreed that international partnerships, strong government support and collaborative research are critical to decarbonising aviation. But without targeted funding and regulatory support, these advances may struggle to take off. Missed the event? You can catch the full recording here and learn how collaboration between the right partner is shaping the future of flight.