UK companies join forces to produce carbon-free fuel

The new joint venture will design and bring to market lightweight and compact ammonia reactors to lightweight and compact ammonia cracker reactors that will enable the use of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel for use in transport applications, such as aviation and marine shipping, in addition to other hard-to-decarbonise applications such as power generation. The reactor will catalytically crack the ammonia into an easy to combust fuel for gas turbines and internal combustion engines.  

Dr James Barth, Ammonia Programme Lead, Reaction Engines, said: “We are excited to work together to help decarbonise power and propulsion systems in transport, power generation, and other hard to abate sectors.” 

Fully decarbonising transport, and particularly long-distance travel, remains one of the hardest to solve technological challenges as countries seek to move towards a net-zero economy. The ideal future beyond current maritime and aviation fuels would be a carbon-free alternative that mimics all the essential propulsion propertyes of existing carbon-based fuels. Appropriately blended using the unique lightweight cracker technology developed by the new joint venture, ammonia and hydrogen together can be the carbon-free substitute that addresses the challenges of hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation and maritime. 

Accounting for five per cent of carbon emissions 

Ammonia is a product that is currently widely transported and stored globally, has a higher volumetric energy density than hydrogen and can be used alongside hydrogen as a zero-carbon replacement for other carbon-based fuels.  

Dr Robert Trezona, Head of Cleantech, IP Group, addedL “As the leading cleantech venture investor in the UK, we are delighted to be partnering with two of the country’s most innovative organizations to pursue ammonia for energy. With the Energy Transitions Commission, we highlighted green ammonia as an essential component of a net-zero economy in the Mission Possible report 2018.” 

At present aviation and maritime account for five per cent of total global carbon emissionss and both sectors are expected to see significant increases in carbon emissions over the coming years.