CARE-O-SENE takes flight: First catalyst produced on semi-commercial scale

13 Oct 2023

United States

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The CARE-O-SENE program - a German-South African research project working to develop catalysts for the efficient production of green kerosene - achieved a major milestone recently, producing its first catalyst on a semi-commercial scale.

Sasol Chemicals is a major participant in the CARE-O-SENE partnership, which is striving to produce catalysts that can be used in the Fischer-Tropsch process to produce sustainable aviation fuels.

 

Catalyst One, as it is known, had previously only been produced and tested on a small scale in the laboratory and in pilot plants.  It will now be evaluated in the world's largest demonstration plant at Sasol Chemicals' site in South Africa.

 

This first endurance test presents completely new challenges and will provide the development team with critical insights into Catalyst One's performance.

 

Early indications suggest that Catalyst One is very robust and has the perfect prerequisites for the Fischer-Tropsch process, including high mechanical sustainability and the ability to achieve a high conversion rate, which are important in achieving more efficient production.

 

This phase of testing represents a crucial step toward achieving the CARE-O-SENE project's goal:  Transforming aviation through the industrial-scale production of sustainable aviation fuels.