Susteon Inc. has been selected as one of the recipients of the ARPA-E GREENWELLS program to develop a novel process to produce kerosene range olefins using CO₂, H₂, and renewable electricity. Susteon team members include Purdue University and the Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT) with industrial support from TotalEnergies. Susteon’s innovative ECHO-SAF (Electrified CO₂ Hydrogenation to Olefins for Sustainable Aviation Fuel) process is projected to achieve over 70% overall carbon-to-carbon conversion with at least 50% electricity-to-hydrocarbon efficiency using intermittent renewable energy sources.

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"We are thrilled that this funding will enable us to develop a robust platform technology with in-situ electric heating to convert CO₂ and H₂ into kerosene range hydrocarbons in a modular reactor designed for dynamic operation under intermittent power supply. This technology has the potential to transform renewable energy storage and utilization by converting surplus or off-grid renewable electricity into a hydrocarbon liquid fuel”, said Dr. Vasudev Haribal, Senior Research Engineer at Susteon who will be leading this project.

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ECHO-SAF enables dynamic CO₂ upgrading with intermittent power through rapid, uniform electrical heating and quick startup/shutdown capability. Preliminary technoeconomic analysis indicates the potential of ECHO-SAF to produce kerosene range SAF precursors at a market competitive price, depending upon the price of the renewable electricity. This technology offers a pathway to efficient and economical use of stranded renewable energy assets to produce and store energy in liquid fuels at a significantly lower cost than battery storage. Furthermore, this work could lead to the development of inexpensive, modular, dynamic, electrically heated catalytic reactors as a new platform for producing a wide variety of chemicals.

Researchers at Purdue University in the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Light Alkane Resources (CISTAR), an Engineering Research Center (ERC) of the National Science Foundation (NSF), bring key scientific expertise and patented technologies in catalysis and reaction engineering and process design and optimization. In prior research performed in CISTAR, Professor Rajamani Gounder has designed novel zeolite catalysts that oligomerize light olefin gases to produce heavier hydrocarbon liquids with superior control over product selectivity and catalyst lifetime, while Professor Rakesh Agrawal has developed new reactor designs with segmental heating zones consisting of internal heating elements and associated operating strategies that can load follow intermittent supplies of renewable energy while keeping product quality intact.

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"Our collaboration with Purdue University and the support from the Aviation Climate Taskforce will be crucial in advancing this technology to make significant strides in reducing the aviation sectors’ carbon footprint," said Dr. Raghubir Gupta, CEO/Co-Founder.

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The foundational research for ECHO-SAF was funded by the Aviation Climate Taskforce through a $400,000 research grant to Susteon. This funding allowed Susteon to obtain proof-of-concept results for this novel technology.

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"Funding projects like Susteon’s ECHO-SAF is vital to our mission of accelerating the development of sustainable aviation technologies. Susteon’s approach represents a promising pathway to achieving our environmental goals," commented Dr. Daniel Matuszak, Chief Technology Officer at Aviation Climate Taskforce.

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This three-year project with a total funding of $5.5 million will enable the Susteon team to further develop this technology and build a small pilot unit to produce ~1 liter/day of kerosene-range fuel for industrial validation. To learn more, please visit the ARPA-E website.

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Susteon, a pioneering technology startup located in the heart of Research Triangle, North Carolina, is at the forefront of developing and deploying revolutionary decarbonization technologies. The Susteon team has developed a portfolio of technologies tackling carbon capture, carbon utilization and hydrogen production. Susteon’s mission is to mitigate the impact of climate change and advance environmental sustainability by capturing and converting emissions into value at scale.

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For more information, please contact:

Susteon Inc.

contact@susteoninc.com

www.susteoninc.com

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