UK SAF supplier launches first one step CO2 to SAF plant

OXCCU, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier based in the UK, has unveiled its first CO2 and green hydrogen to jet fuel plant at Oxford Airport, planned to serve as a demonstration platform for the technology. 

The Oxford University-linked company has developed a single step process to manufacture its new ‘OX FUEL’, which directly converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen into long-chain hydrocarbons for SAF. 

The demonstration plant is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and will produce around 1kg of the fuel per day once it begins operations in September, ahead of the construction for OXCCU’s full scale plant in Saltend in 2026. Other test production facilities for producing SAF via alternative methods have been funded across Europe and the world.

OXCCU CEO Andrew Symes said: “The fuel we’ve already made in a single step from CO2 in the lab has created great excitement with its potential to massively reduce the cost of SAF, but the scale-up is key, and this plant will generate the data and litres of fuel we need. 

“Our mission is to enable future generations to fly without a climate impact, and to do that we need cost-effective Power-to-Liquid SAF.” 

The company was spun out from its initial research stage under Oxford University in 2021 and has since raised £18m ($23m) in Series A funding to support the growth of its technology. 

Development of the new SAF type is part of the industry’s ongoing search for a truly sustainable jet fuel alternative, with current SAFs based on waste feedstocks such as cooking oils making them hard to scale up. 

The UK government has also been supporting the growth of the SAF industry in the country, with the new Labour government promoting the fuels as part of its plan for the UK aviation industry.