How Switzerland's Metafuels advances methanol-based sustainable aviation fuel
Metafuels ‘Aerobrew’ process offers a potentially more cost-efficient and less resource-intensive method for producing SAF.
The search for new and economically viable sources of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is leading the industry to explore new and innovative fuel-production pathways.
One possible solution in this exploration is the so-called Methanol-to-Jet (MtJ) conversion process, with Zurich-based Metafuels being one of a small group of companies looking to develop electrofuels (or e-fuels) through the MtJ method.
Metafuels’ approach differs from conventional biofuel processes and the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis that is predominantly utilised for e-fuel production, offering a potentially more cost-efficient and less resource-intensive method for producing SAF.
We spoke with Metafuels CEO and Co-Founder Saurabh Kapoor to find out more.
Methanol-to-Jet (MtJ) conversion explained
Ethically, Kapoor said that Metafuels is committed to avoiding food stocks as a feedstock, aligning with global food security and the impact of geopolitical events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Using a proprietary process called ‘Aerobrew’, Metafuels employs green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources. This hydrogen is blended with carbon dioxide directly captured from the atmosphere or industrial emissions to create methanol.
The methanol, produced in an environmentally friendly manner, is subsequently converted into jet fuel via catalytic processes.
Kapoor emphasised the MtJ pathway's advantages; in particular, you need less renewable energy to produce fuel than e-fuels made via the almost 100-year-old Fischer-Tropsch method, and you get a higher proportion of jet fuel out at the other end.
As a result, though he emphasised that you are not always “comparing apples to apples”, the Metafuels ‘Aerobrew’ process can be twice as efficient as e-fuels made from Fischer-Tropsch.
Moreover, unlike the syngas generated by traditional SAF methods like Fischer-Tropsch, methanol's versatility in transportation means it can be moved over long distances, for instance, via pipelines and ships.
Kapoor noted this enables methanol production in one location and jet fuel conversion in another, maximising renewable resources and CO2 capture technologies for decentralised methanol production centrally converted to jet fuel.
Kapoor told us that he expects Metafuels to be price competitive, ultimately in the “lower quartile” regarding SAF pricing.
Organisational Background and Vision
Based in Switzerland, Metafuels is spearheaded by industry experts Leigh Hackett, Saurabh Kapoor, and Ulrich Koss.
For Kapoor, the birth of his first son provided the epiphany to turn his 20+ years of experience in the power generation sector to look at how aviation’s carbon emissions could be solved.
Meanwhile, Chairman and COO Leigh Hackett is a chemical engineer with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector. CTO Ulrich Koss is the inventor or co-inventor of more than 40 patents in gas, petrochemical and carbon capture technology.
Though Kapoor said it’s unlikely that the eventual large-scale production facilities will be in Switzerland, the country is important to Metafuels as the place where the technology is developed.
Metafuels has partnered with institutions like the Paul Scherrer Institut to refine its technology, leveraging Swiss expertise in renewable energy and carbon capture.
Strategic Expansion and Partnerships
Metafuels announced a significant $8 million funding round in December last year, led by Energy Impact Partners and Contrarian Ventures.
This supports its aim to substantially enhance production capacity, including pilot facility development, and research advancements.
Kapoor acknowledged that this funding round is only the start, with SAF production being incredibly capital-intensive.
He also held out the possibility that Metafuels might not build and operate all of its production facilities but could license its technology to other fuel and energy companies ready to produce SAF.
The company anticipates launching a pilot plant by 2027, progressing to full-scale production in the following decade. Metafuels has already signed an agreement with European Energy A/S to collaborate on developing and implementing a SAF production plant in Denmark using Metafuels 'Aerobrew' process.
Our Take on Metafuels
With the European Union mandating a 6% SAF use by 2030 and 20% by 2035, we’ll need to see a massive ramping up of SAF production over the next decade.
Metafuels' choice of methanol as the pathway holds promise regarding production efficiency.
The ability to transport it to different places where it can be turned into jet fuel gives it added versatility. At the same time, licensing the technology but not necessarily always producing the fuel, means that less capital will be involved than if the company intended to do everything itself.