Metafuels secures $5 million grant to construct eSAF pilot plant in Switzerland
Metafuels and the Paul Scherrer Institute announced in late July a funding grant of 4.4 million Swiss francs (USD$5.1 million) from the Swiss government’s federal office of energy. The grant follows an $8 million seed-funding round in December.
The funds will contribute to the implementation and operation of a pilot facility based on Metafuels’ sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) technology, aerobrew, which is being developed in collaboration with PSI, Switzerland’s largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences.
Set to be the country’s first such plant, the facility will be installed at the PSI campus in Villigen AG and will focus on demonstrating what Metafuels said is “groundbreaking” sustainable aviation fuel technology for large-scale commercial deployment.
Metafuels, along with technology development partner PSI, have secured the grant funding under a pilot and demonstration program due to the innovative nature of their technology and close alignment with the key objectives of Switzerland’s 2050 energy strategy.
Metafuels focuses on sustainable aviation fuel made using renewable electricity (eSAF).
Aerobrew eSAF can replace conventional kerosene regardless of the size and type of aircraft or whether it operates short- or long-haul.
“But unlike competitors in this space, aerobrew technology aims to achieve the lowest cost of production through high efficiency and ultra-high yield of eSAF,” Metafuels stated.
Similarly, the technology is expected to achieve high environmental performance—through an up to 90 percent reduction of lifecycle emissions.
“International business travel powered by aviation, as well as the exporting of key Swiss goods, represent a significant proportion of the Swiss economy, and a key challenge to overcome in decarbonizing the Swiss economy,” said Saurabh Kapoor, CEO and co-founder at Metafuels. “Two of our major airports, Zurich and Geneva, are both international transportation hubs connecting passengers east to west, and across Europe, so decarbonizing our aviation industry will also play a role in the mission to decarbonize the global economy. We are proud to secure this grant, not only for the important work it will fund to bring our technology to life, but what it represents, placing us at the heart of an increasingly innovative, start-up oriented Swiss economy.”
Construction of the new pilot plant will take place in a three-story research hall on the campus of the Paul Scherrer Institute.
It will be part of the energy-system integration (ESI) platform, a test platform where promising approaches to energy-conversion processes for research and industry can be tested in all their complex connections and interrelations.
“Thanks to our expertise in both basic research and engineering sciences, as well as our many years of experience in the development and operation of such large-scale systems, our collaboration with Metafuels will accelerate the implementation of this novel technology for the decarbonization of the aviation industry,” said Marco Ranocchiari, head of the ESI platform at PSI.
The pilot plant for converting methanol into eSAF on this scale will be the first of its kind in Switzerland.
The aim is to demonstrate the aerobrew technology, with the next step being scaling up to large-scale commercial use.
According to Metafuels, the aerobrew technology enables a seamless transition away from fossil-based kerosene using a proprietary process for the conversion of green methanol to eSAF.
Green methanol is a chemical produced from green hydrogen (H2) and sustainably sourced carbon dioxide.
Green H2 can be generated from water electrolysis driven by renewable electricity, while CO2 can be captured from biogenic sources including wastes and residues in the short-term—and through direct air capture in the long-term.
Alongside PSI, Metafuels has secured this grant, as the company is addressing the major issues with eSAF: scalability, efficiency and cost.
Metafuels said it is focused on a technology that produces jet fuel as its primary output.
“Ultimately, this highly selective approach, simultaneously targeting high yield and high energy efficiency, is expected to lead to industry-leading cost of eSAF production,” the company stated.
Operation of the pilot plant planned for early 2025.
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