Skip to main content
  • Paul Scherrer Institut PSI
  • PSI Research, Labs & User Services

Digital User Office

  • Digital User Office
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)
Search
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)

Hauptnavigation

  • Research at PSIOpen mainmenu item
    • Research Initiatives
    • Ethics and Research integrity
    • Scientific Highlights
    • Scientific Events
    • Scientific Career
    • PSI-FELLOW
    • PSI Data Policy
  • Research Divisions and LabsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Research with Neutrons and Muons
    • Photon Science
    • Energy and Environment
    • Nuclear Energy and Safety
    • Biology and Chemistry
    • Scientific Computing, Theory and Data
    • Large Research Facilities
  • Facilities and InstrumentsOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Large Research Facilities
    • Facilities
    • PSI Facility Newsletter
  • PSI User ServicesOpen mainmenu item
    • User Office
    • Methods at the PSI User Facilities
    • Proposals for beam time
    • Proposal Deadlines
    • Data Analysis Service (PSD)
    • EU support programmes
  • New ProjectsOpen mainmenu item
    • SLS 2.0
    • IMPACT
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR

Digital User Office (mobile)

  • Digital User Office

You are here:

  1. PSI Home
  2. Labs & User Services
  3. NES
  4. LEA
  5. Technology Assessment
  6. Projects
  7. SynFuels – PSI-Empa Joint Initiative

Secondary navigation

Technology Assessment

  • Research Areas
    • Life Cycle Assessment
    • Environmental Impacts Assessment
    • Internal Cost Analysis
    • Risk Assessment
    • Mobility
    • Decision Support
  • Methods
    • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
      • Global Sensitivity Analysis in LCA
      • Prospective LCA
    • Environmental Impact and External Cost Assessment
    • Risk Assessment
      • Accident Risk Assessment
      • Bayesian Approaches
      • Risk Assessment for Critical Infrastructures
    • Decision Support
      • Composite Indicators
      • Interacting criteria
      • spatial MCDA
  • People
    • Former Group Members
  • Projects Expanded submenu item
    • Closed Projects
  • Publications
    • Preprint Journal Articles
    • Journals and Books
    • Reports and Working Papers
  • Theses and Internships
  • Conference
  • Tools
  • News & Scientific Highlights

SynFuels – PSI-Empa Joint Initiative

Using fossil kerosene as main aviation fuel does not represent a viable option in a global economy complying with net-zero CO2 emission goals. Sustainable alternatives need to be developed: be it electric propulsion for short distances, hydrogen aircrafts, or synthetic liquid hydrocarbons. These synthetic hydrocarbons exhibit similar energy densities as today’s kerosene and are therefore the most promising alternative for intercontinental flights. They can be produced using biomass as feedstock or low-carbon electricity and CO2 from various sources. Using CO2 from biomass or captured from the atmosphere allows for potential carbon-neutrality. The aim of this project is two-fold: On the one hand, process technologies for different synfuels production pathways (including electrochemical CO2 reduction, thermochemical biomass conversion, and others) will be developed and improved by dedicated research groups at PSI and Empa. On the other hand, these synfuels production pathways will be evaluated in parallel regarding their economic and environmental performance applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Thus, the environmental evaluation will not only address impacts on climate change, but also potential co-benefits and trade-offs regarding impacts on human health, ecosystem quality, and use of water, land, and other resources. The Technology Assessment group will work together with Empa’s Technology & Society Laboratory to carry out this evaluation. In addition, PSI’s Energy Economic group will analyze the potential and role of synthetic aviation fuels in low-carbon economies and their contribution to reaching the Swiss net-zero CO2 emission goal.

Reports

Treyer, K., Sacchi, R., Bauer, C. Life Cycle Assessment of synthetic hydrocarbons for use as jet fuel: “Power-to-Liquid” and “Sun-to-Liquid” processes. Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland. Commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA).

Sidebar

Project details

Duration: 2021-2023
Funding: Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology

Researchers

Romain Sacchi
Karin Treyer
Christian Bauer

Partners

PSI-ENE
EMPA

top

Footer

Paul Scherrer Institut

Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Telephone: +41 56 310 21 11
Telefax: +41 56 310 21 99

How to find us
Contact

Visitor Centre psi forum
School Lab iLab (in German)
Center for Proton Therapy
PSI Education Centre
PSI Guest House
PSI Gastronomie (in German)
psi forum shop

Service & Support

  • Phone Book
  • User Office
  • Accelerator Status
  • PSI Publications
  • Suppliers
  • E-Billing
  • Computing
  • Safety (in German)

Career

  • Working at PSI
  • Job Opportunities
  • Training and further education
  • Career Center
  • Vocational Training (in German)
  • PSI Education Center

For the media

  • PSI in brief
  • Facts and Figures
  • Media corner
  • Media Releases
  • Social Media

Follow us: Twitter (in English) LinkedIn Youtube Facebook Instagram Issuu RSS

Footer legal

  • Imprint
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Editors' login