Technology atlas / Thermochemical synthesis
CO₂ to synthetic hydrocarbons (RWGS + Fischer–Tropsch)
CO₂ is first converted to CO-rich syngas—by reverse water–gas shift or co-electrolysis—then Fischer–Tropsch synthesis builds liquid hydrocarbons such as e-kerosene.
Technical reference · Updated 2026-10-10 · No current-news claim
Where the carbon goes
Carbon returns to the atmosphere when the fuel is combusted, typically within months to a few years of production.
Conceptual process flow · left to right
- 01CO₂ + H₂ feed
- 02RWGS reactor
- 03Syngas conditioning
- 04Fischer–Tropsch synthesis
- 05Upgrading / refining
- 06Liquid fuels
From chemistry to process
- Feedstocks
- CO₂, Hydrogen
- Products
- Synthetic kerosene, diesel and naphtha, Waxes, Water
- Catalysts
- RWGS: process-specific high-temperature catalysts; Fischer–Tropsch: cobalt- or iron-based catalysts
- Conditions
- RWGS is endothermic and favoured at high temperature; Fischer–Tropsch is exothermic at lower temperature. Product distribution needs hydrocracking and refining.
Performance & demonstrated scale
Fischer–Tropsch is industrial for fossil syngas; integration with CO₂ and electrolytic hydrogen is at demonstration and first-of-a-kind scale.
3.137 t CO₂/t –CH₂– theoretical
0.431 t H₂/t –CH₂– theoretical
Economics
Hydrogen and capital dominate. Compare with fossil jet fuel only on a stated, complete boundary and separate any policy support from production cost.
Climate considerations
Low-carbon electricity is essential. Fuel-use emissions return the carbon; claims depend on CO₂ origin and the accounting rules applied.
CCU Reality Check · pathway assessment
What remains to be demonstrated?
This initial assessment separates process knowledge from the evidence needed for a commercial conclusion. Missing information is left unresolved.
| Dimension | Assessment and evidence gap |
|---|---|
| CO₂ feedstock availability | No site-specific supplier, volume, purity guarantee or delivery contract has been verified. |
| Capture and delivered cost | Not quantified. Capture, conditioning, compression and transport need separate boundaries. |
| Energy and hydrogen demand | Theoretical stoichiometric or thermodynamic values are shown above. Actual process energy and feed losses remain scenario assumptions. |
| Catalyst and reactor performance | RWGS: process-specific high-temperature catalysts; Fischer–Tropsch: cobalt- or iron-based catalysts. No plant lifetime or sustained performance is verified here. |
| Product separation | The process flow identifies separation stages where relevant; a quantified separation duty and cost remain unavailable. |
| CAPEX and OPEX | No plant-specific capital estimate or complete operating-cost dataset is attached. |
| Minimum selling price | Not calculated. Capital recovery, utilization, financing and a complete operating boundary are required. |
| Fossil benchmark competitiveness | No verified regional benchmark comparison. Calculator benchmark values, where shown, are illustrative. |
| Climate performance | Low-carbon electricity is essential. Fuel-use emissions return the carbon; claims depend on CO₂ origin and the accounting rules applied. |
| Scale-up bottlenecks | Hydrogen cost and supply continuity; RWGS high-temperature heat and selectivity; Broad product distribution and upgrading; Fuel certification and offtake. |
| Customer and offtake readiness | No qualified-customer or executed-offtake evidence is attached to this pathway profile. |
| Policy dependence | Not assessed for a specific project or jurisdiction. Do not assume subsidies or certification eligibility. |