CAPHENIA, a German cleantech company founded in 2018, uses methane, carbon dioxide (CO₂), water, and electricity to produce syngas in an integrated reactor. Using the conventional Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis process, the syngas can then be converted into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels. By making carbon-neutral synthetic fuels, CAPHENIA seeks to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the transportation sector, especially airplanes. The company aims to produce 10 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel by 2027, 100 million liters by 2030, and more than one billion liters by 2035.
(This article contains 1 diagram and 1689 words.)
Challenges: carbon-neutral fuel
Since the early 1900s, carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere have increased by 50% due to human activities. When fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) are burned for energy production, transportation, and industrial processes, CO₂ is released into the atmosphere. This excess CO₂ acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat and causing the air and ocean temperatures to rise. CO₂ emissions play a crucial role in driving climate change.
Negative emissions technologies (NET) have been developed to remove more CO₂ from the atmosphere than they emit during the process. Examples of NETs include Direct Air Capture (DAC), enhanced weathering, and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement. For example, Direct Air Capture is a process that extracts CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. The captured CO₂ can then be utilized in various industrial applications.
If captured CO₂ is used in the production of synthetic fuels, then burning those fuels in airplanes, ships, and industrial processes doesn’t add to carbon emissions.
CAPHENIA Technology
CAPHENIA has developed a Plasma Boudouard Reactor (PBR) that uses CO₂ and steam to convert methane into high-quality syngas in an efficient manner. Syngas is a fuel gas mixture that consists primarily of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and occasionally CO₂. It is an important intermediate in the production of various chemicals, fuels, and energy. The syngas can be converted into liquid fuels via the conventional Fischer-Tropsch process.
CAPHENIA’s reactor produces high quality syngas from methane or biogas in a single reactor, reducing energy consumption and CAPEX. The process involves plasma pyrolysis of methane at around 2,000 ºC to produce carbon and H₂. Carbon reacts further with supplied CO₂ and steam via the Boudouard reaction and heterogeneous water-gas shift (WGS) reaction, respectively, to produce CO and H₂. Therefore, the CO/H₂ molar ratio of the syngas can be controlled for the subsequent Fischer-Tropsch process to produce liquid carbon-neutral fuels.
How CAPHENIA produces syngas
The diagram below depicts a single reactor developed by CAPHENIA to produce syngas from methane or biogas.