OXCCU announces SAF project at Saltend in the UK
px Group has announced that OXCCU will develop a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) demonstration plant at its Saltend Chemicals Park in the Humber that will convert carbon dioxide and green hydrogen into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
OXCCU is a leading carbon-to-value company that develops catalysts and processes to convert carbon dioxide and green hydrogen into fuels, chemicals and plastics.
The climate-tech spin-out from the University of Oxford has demonstrated the world’s first direct carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrogenation process, turning CO2 directly into aviation fuel range hydrocarbons, also known as SAF, with minimal oxygenate byproducts.
The project presents a novel approach to SAF production simplifying a multi-step process to a single step. OXCCU will now build a First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) demonstration plant at Saltend Chemicals Park, which will be fed by biogenic carbon dioxide, and green hydrogen. The plant is expected to produce 160 kilos (200 liters) of liquid fuel per day, of which the majority will be SAF. The approach directly aligns with the Advanced Fuel Fund’s objective to use carbon dioxide as a carbon source for SAF production due to feedstock concerns at scale with the other biofuel SAF routes.
px Group will provide the engineering design and construction of the Outside Battery Limits (OSBL) support facilities as well as operations and maintenance when the plant is up and running. The plan is for operations to start in 2026.
The project has been announced at a time when the UK Government has developed a framework to cement the UK’s status as a world leader in SAF, with a SAF mandate and a revenue certainty scheme to boost uptake and help create jobs. The Government has committed to having at least five commercial SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025, viewing low or zero emission technologies as key to sustainability targets.
The announcement with OXCCU follows the Hydrogen-to-Humber H2H Saltend decarbonization project recently being granted planning permission. Equinor’s H2H Saltend is a 600-megawatt low carbon hydrogen production plant with carbon capture, one of the first of its kind and scale to be granted planning permission in the UK, helping to establish the Humber as an international hub for low carbon hydrogen whilst significantly reducing carbon emissions.
px Group is backed by Ara Partners, a private equity company specializing in decarbonization investments. OXCCU is backed by investors including IP group (Kiko), Clean Energy Ventures, United Airlines, Eni, Aramco Ventures and Trafigura.
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