Climate solutions and trading firm STX Group has partnered with Norsk e-Fuel to promote biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) deliveries to future Norsk e-Fuel production sites and address key challenges holding back the growth of the European carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) market.
By industrialising the production of e-fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Norsk and its partner aim to capitalise on this sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99%.
However, there still exist concerns such as insufficient carbon dioxide (CO2) transportation infrastructure and scalable CO2 source availability.
Sead Keric, Managing Partner of Renewable Gas at STX Group, believes that the partnership will help create a solution that benefits the environment and contributes to a low-carbon economy.
“This partnership with Norsk e-Fuel marks a significant step forward in our commitment to driving long-term sustainability,” he said.
Support by off takers and shareholders, Norsk e-Fuel is advancing projects to produce ready-to-use e-fuel. This includes securing sites, technology, offtake agreements and feedstock, with an overarching goal to secure 700,000 tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030.
Biogenic CO2 is sourced from various activities, including biomass combustion, fermentation processes in agriculture and forestry, and decomposition of organic matter.
A less polluting alternative to anthropogenic CO2, it is increasingly utilised in industries like renewable energy and sustainable fuel production as a feedstock for processes such as CCUS.
In 2020, Europe could have produced 24m tonnes of biogenic CO2, based on the volumes of biogas and biomethane produced that year (18bcm), said the European Biogas Association.
By 2030, the EBA states that Europe could generate 46m tonens of biogenic CO2 by producing 35 bcm of biogas and biomethane.
“We are excited to partner with STX Group as a major aggregator of renewable gases, securing additional sources of biogenic CO2, a crucial element for our e-fuel production process,” said Karl Hauptmeier, CEO at Norsk e-Fuel.
According to figures from IATA, SAFs can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% and has been used to fuel more than 490,000 flights.
There were at least 300 million litres produced in 2022 with five billion litres projected by 2025.
The organisation estimates that SAF could contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach Net Zero in 2050. However, it also highlights the need for a ‘massive’ increase in production to meet demand.
