Lydian demonstrates novel eSAF technology, receives DARPA award

Electric-fuels company Lydian announced Jan. 27 the successful pilot demonstration of its technology for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial and defense applications.

The pilot plant, which can produce up to 25 gallons of fuel per day, is located at RTI International in North Carolina.

This milestone was achieved within three years of the company’s founding and with only a fraction of capital typically associated with SAF demonstrations—a major achievement for both Lydian and the SAF industry, the company said.

Lydian’s novel process uses captured CO2, water and renewable electricity to produce a drop-in alternative for today’s fossil-based jet fuel, with up to 95 percent lower emissions.

“In less than three years, we’ve moved from concept to pilot, which marks a pivotal step towards our long-term goal of decarbonizing aviation,” said Joe Rodden, the CEO and co-founder of Lydian. “This pilot showcases the viability of our novel technology to produce SAF and our ability to scale towards commercial production in record time.”

“Lydian’s power-to-liquids (PtL) technology is part of a growing evolution within the SAF industry that has seen PtL approaches gain traction due to highly accessible and scalable feedstock (waste CO2 emissions) and minimal land and water usage compared to biofuels,” the company stated.

As a result, Lydian said PtL approaches can achieve the lowest emissions of any SAF.

Lydian said it is “revolutionizing” the PtL category of SAF by addressing one of its biggest challenges—the significant amount of electricity required to power the technology.

Lydian’s modular reactors are designed to operate variably to follow the availability of low-cost renewable power, the company explained.

This flexibility not only reduces operating costs but also avoids direct competition for clean power and reduces strain on the grid, according to the company, which it said is an increasingly critical advantage as grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace with growing demand from high-energy sectors like computing and manufacturing.

“Since Day One, we’ve approached our system design holistically, ensuring no compromises on cost or efficiency,” said Branko Zugic, the chief technology officer and co-founder of Lydian. “Our advancements in process intensification and conversion efficiency have led to numerous breakthroughs that enable hard-to-replicate cost and logistical benefits for both commercial- and defense-use cases.”

In addition to its pilot success, Lydian received an award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency through the “Expeditionary Carbon Utilization for Energy Resilience and Stabilization” (ExCURSion) program, which seeks to develop portable, closed, rechargeable expeditionary power systems that store energy as carbon-based fuel.

The award will support Lydian’s R&D efforts to produce a prototype that addresses the logistical burden of supplying fuel in remote locations.

Transporting fuel remains a critical challenge for the U.S. Department of Defense, which consumes over 70 million barrels of fuel annually to support global operations and training, according to the 2023 Annual Energy Performance, Resilience and Readiness Report.

Localized, resilient fuel production technologies like Lydian’s could enable fuel production closer to the point of use, reducing the risks and costs associated with transporting fuel to remote locations while enhancing energy security.

Lydian’s first commercial-scale demonstration plant is expected to be operational in 2027 with a full-scale commercial plant deployment in 2030 capable of 20 million gallons per year, according to Lydian.

“The company is executing at an accelerated pace with a team of top scientists and engineers recruited from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Anduril, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and top academic labs including Stanford and MIT,” it noted.