The compact pilot plant is part of the Soletair project and can produce 80 litres of fuel per day.
VTT
In this mobile chemical pilot plant, 200 litres of synthetic fuel have already been extracted from solar power and carbon dioxide captured from the air. The mobile system, which fits into a shipping container, can produce around 80 litres of petrol per day.
The system works according to the Fischer-Tropsch process and consists of three components: a filter plant to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, an electrolysis unit that produces the necessary hydrogen using solar power, and a reactor where carbon dioxide and hydrogen are converted into reactive synthesis gas at high temperature and transformed into liquid fuels, such as petrol, diesel or paraffin.
German-Finnish collaboration
“The success of Soletair demonstrates the importance of international research networks addressing global challenges and developing practical solutions”, says Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at Karlsruhe Institute of technology (KIT). The compact power-to-liquid plant has been developed in cooperation with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and the KIT start-up INERATEC. The pilot plant has been located on the LUT campus since the summer of 2017 and is connected to the local solar power plant.