Houston-based Syzygy Plasmonics has successfully completed tests of its all-electric CO2-to-fuel production technology at RTI International’s facility in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. The technology developed by Syzygy has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions in transportation by converting carbon dioxide and methane into low-carbon jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline. The pilot project was sponsored by Equinor Ventures and Sumitomo Corp. of Americas.
Syzygy CEO Trevor Best believes that this project demonstrates the company’s capability to combat climate change by transforming harmful greenhouse gases into useful fuel sources. By operating at scale, the technology has the potential to greatly decrease or even eliminate the carbon intensity of shipping, trucking, and aviation, thereby making a substantial impact on reducing emissions in the heavy-duty transport sector. A commercial-scale Syzygy plant is estimated to consume around 200,000 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to removing 45,000 cars from the road.
RTI’s director of renewable energy and energy storage, Sameer Parvathikar, expressed optimism about the results of the demonstration and highlighted the significance of the collaboration with Syzygy. In addition to its successful testing at RTI’s facility, Syzygy’s Ammonia e-Cracking™ technology has completed over 2,000 hours of performance and optimization testing at its Houston plant. The company is currently in the process of finalizing a location and partners for a commercial CO2-to-fuel plant.
In its efforts to decarbonize the chemical industry, which accounts for nearly 20% of industrial CO2 emissions, Syzygy Plasmonics is utilizing light instead of combustion to drive chemical reactions. Through these innovative technologies, Syzygy aims to make a substantial impact in reducing carbon emissions and advancing towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.
