Abstract
Renewable energy-powered direct air capture with subsequent utilisation offers a sustainable decarbonisation strategy for a circular economy. Whereas current liquid-based capture technology relies on natural gas combustion for high-temperature calcination, restricting the transition to fully renewable operation. In this study, we show a 1MtCO2/year solar-driven process that adopts a hydrogen fluidised solar calciner with onsite catalytic conversion of CO2 into sustainable aviation fuel. We find that replacing fossil-fuel heating with solar thermal energy lowers electricity consumption by 63% and reduces onsite CO2 emissions by 59%. The analysis shows that the production cost of sustainable aviation fuel is cost-effective (US$4.62/kg) compared to the conventional process. Geographical sensitivity analysis indicates favourable deployment locations are low-risk countries with high solar irradiance and low hydrogen cost. The predicted results also outline potential economic viability for policymakers and industry investors.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by EU RISE project OPTIMAL (Ref: 101007963 to Y.H. and M.W.), National Key Research & Development Program—Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Project (Ref: 2021YFE0112800 to W.D. and F.Q.) and National Natural Science Foundation of China—Basic Science Centre Programme (Ref: 61988101 to W.D. and F.Q.).
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Conceptualisation: Y.H., O.O., M.W. and F.Q.; Methodology: Y.H., O.O., A.D.N.K., M.W. and W.D.; Software: Y.H., O.O., A.D.N.K., H.Y. and M.W.; Writing–original draft: Y.H.; Writing–review & editing: Y.H., O.O., A.D.N.K., H.Y., F.M., M.W., W.D. and F.Q.; Supervision: M.W., W.D. and F.Q.
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Han, Y., Otitoju, O., Kamkeng, A.D.N. et al. Solar-driven direct air capture to produce sustainable aviation fuel. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67977-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67977-x
