Low carbon jet fuel through integration of novel technologies for co-valorisation of CO2 and biomass

Aircraft engines could soon burn fuel made from waste wood and captured CO₂ instead of crude oil. This project brings together engineers and chemists from four UK universities to build a new production pathway for low-carbon jet fuel. The team will develop catalysts and electrodes that convert agricultural and forestry waste—combined with captured carbon dioxide—into synthetic aviation fuel, using renewable energy to drive the reactions. They will also analyse the full lifecycle of the fuel, from carbon source to combustion, and assess the economic and social factors that could make or break the supply chain. If the approach works, it could help the UK cut aviation emissions without redesigning aircraft or airports. Jet fuel made this way would slot directly into existing engines and infrastructure. The project also tackles two problems at once: disposing of biomass waste and reusing CO₂ that would otherwise stay in the atmosphere. The research is applied from the start—there is no gap between the lab work and the real-world fuel supply chain. Success would mean a tangible, drop-in replacement for fossil kerosene, produced from materials the UK already has in abundance.