This new factory just commercialized jet fuel made from CO2

At a sprawling new plant near farm fields in Washington State, CO2 is now being turned into jet fuel—and passenger flights will likely begin using it later this month. The facility, called Air Plant One, officially opened today. It belongs to Twelve, a startup that has spent the last decade developing the tech to convert CO2 into useful products. Now that’s beginning to happen at commercial scale. “You have a CO2 molecule going in at one end of the plant, and it is getting transformed into on-spec jet fuel on the other side,” says CEO and cofounder Nicolas Flanders. A large tank of CO2, using pollution captured at an ethanol plant, is fed into a system where it’s converted into syngas, running on renewable electricity. Then that’s transformed into synthetic crude and refined into a product that the company brands as E-Jet sustainable aviation fuel. [Image: Twelve] It’s chemically identical to conventional jet fuel. Right now, though, planes have to use a blend of the new fuel and conventional fuel. That’s because petroleum-based fuel includes aromatics, a type of molecule that dictated the design of rubber seals in aircraft fuel systems. “A perfect kerosene, like we’re making, doesn’t include some of those impurities like aromatics,” Flanders says. New aircraft have updated seals that will make it possible to run on 100% CO2-based fuel. (The FAA currently allows up to a 50% blend.) Otherwise, it’s a drop-in replacement and nothing on current planes needs to change. The new fuel is designed to have up to 90% lower emissions than current jet fuel. As the facility ramps up production now, emissions are temporarily higher, and Twelve is tweaking some steps in the process. But the first batches of fuel are already being delivered to airlines for commercial use. When Twelve hits its targets for carbon intensity, Alaska Airlines—an investor and key partner—will begin using it in its own flights. [Image: Twelve] Alaska Airlines already buys some sustainable aviation fu