On the 12th of August 2024, Oxford-born research group OXCCU Tech LTD celebrated the establishment of their groundbreaking OX1 Plant at Oxford Airport. This is the first demonstration plant that converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen to long-chain hydrocarbons through a one-step process, representing a major milestone in the development of sustainable fuel technology, and the pressing need to decarbonise aviation.
OXCCU, a climate tech spin-out company from the University of Oxford, has been researching into alternative fuel options, focusing on the commercialisation of cost-effective sustainable aviation fuel. It was founded by Andrew Symes, Dr Jane Jin, and Dr Tiancun Xiao, who spun the company out from the University in 2021. The achievements of OXCCU are grounded in scientific discoveries published in academic journals, and their journey began in 2010 when their early research started. Their main aims are the development of novel catalysts and reactor designs to facilitate better hydrocarbon conversion. They are UK-based and operate at Begbroke Science Park Oxford and London Oxford Airport.
Since 2010, they have gradually increased their operations, receiving research funding in 2014, and filing a patent in 2020. This led up to their £2 million Spin out in 2021, and eventually to the establishment of the OX1 demo plant in 2024.
The OX1 facility hopes to start operations in September 2024, producing 1 kg of liquid fuel per day. The plant has innovatively reduced the traditionally laborious, multi-step process of hydrocarbon conversion into a single step that uses carbon dioxide, which helps to reduce costs that are often the major barrier to the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. This creation of the patented OX•EFUEL™ is described by OXCCU as a “radically cost-effective solution”, supporting their aim to create “a world of carbon-neutral flights, chemicals and plastics”.
To develop their work in decarbonising aviation, OXCCU were awarded a £2.8 million governmental grant, which they will use to keep scaling up their operations and customer base. Leading on from the successful launch of the OX1 plant, they have further plans to establish a FOAK (First of a Kind) plant in 2026, a commercial plant in 2028 and eventually aim to licence their technology package globally by 2030.
They see these steps as essential for creating a net zero world that they believe will inevitably still rely on hydrocarbons. Through these methods, such as the single-step conversion taking place at London Oxford Airport, they hope to create alternative sustainable fuel options that are actionable and cost-effective.
However, some people remain sceptical about the proposed benefits of SAF, suggesting it is a further demonstration of greenwashing, attempting to mislead consumers. They are also still underused despite international investments; in 2023 the US used 24.5 million gallons of SAF, a minuscule amount in comparison to the roughly 69.3 million gallons of petroleum-based fuels that were used daily. The main hurdles to SAF use are supply and cost, both issues that OXCCU are attempting to target, but the scaling up of this production still has a long way to go. In the US there have also been suggestions that SAF could be produced from corn which can be made into ethanol instead of relying on greenhouse gases. However, corn is a water-intensive crop, and its intensive farming poses a great danger to groundwater, leading farmers to rely on already fragile aquifers for irrigation. Again, OXCCU proposes alternative sources from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, but this processing will require significant increases to compete effectively with the staggering levels of traditional jet fuel used.
It is an inevitable fact that aviation has a serious emissions problem, producing roughly 2.5% of total global carbon emissions, a figure expected to triple by 2050. Research into sustainable jet fuel demonstrates a possible way to combat these emissions, however, many see these initiatives as insufficient substitutes for standard fuel, and doubt they will actionably change the aviation industry within a timeframe necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.