Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production through power-to-liquid (PtL): A combined techno-economic and life cycle assessment

Energy Conversion and Management

September 2023

This study demonstrates the potential for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production with a Power-to-Liquid (PtL) system. The PtL system comprises of a includes direct air capture unit, an offshore wind farm, an alkaline electrolyser and a refinery plant.  The calculated carbon conversion efficiency, hydrogen conversion efficiency, and Power-to-liquids efficiency are 88 %, 39.16 % and 25.6 %, respectively. The heat integration between the refinery and the DAC unit enhances the system’s energy performance, while water integration between the DAC, the refinery units and the electrolyser reduces the demand for fresh water. Within a 95 % confidence interval, a stochastic Monte Carlo LCA reveals that the global warming potential of the SAF falls below the UK aviation mandate threshold of 50 % emissions reduction compared to fossil jet fuel. The study also estimates required monetary value of SAF certificates for different scenarios under the UK SAF mandate guidelines.