Shell, Fraunhofer IKTS and AVL join forces to develop a new generation of e-SAF.

Shell Global Solutions International BV, Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), and AVL are combining their expertise in a four-year research program focused on developing a next-generation Power-to-Liquids (PtL) process.

The collaboration aims to develop a technology capable of producing synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) from carbon dioxide (CO₂) and low-carbon electricity. The project will rely on Solid Oxide Co-Electrolysis, a promising technology for efficiently converting electricity and CO₂ into synthetic molecules that can subsequently be used to produce fuels.

Over the course of the four-year program, the three partners will work to advance the technology and contribute to the development of solutions designed to reduce the aviation sector’s carbon footprint. The partnership brings together Shell’s industrial expertise, Fraunhofer IKTS’s capabilities in electrochemical technologies, and AVL’s expertise in system development and engineering.

More broadly, the project is part of ongoing efforts to develop new pathways for producing synthetic fuels that can meet the aviation sector’s needs while supporting the decarbonization of air transport.