Decarbonisation Technology August 2025 Issue

international flights by significantly reducing lifecycle carbon emissions while being fully compatible with existing aircraft engines and fuelling infrastructure. Therefore, e-SAF plays a critical role in helping the aviation industry meet decarbonisation targets without requiring major changes to operations or technology. Today, 30% of global SAF and renewable diesel operating capacity runs on Topsoe technology. Between 2000 and 2019, emissions from the aviation sector grew quicker than those from rail, road or shipping, and currently the industry accounts for approximately 2.5% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions. However, governments and international bodies have set ambitious goals to significantly reduce the impact of flying (IEA, 2025) . The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050 (IEA, 2025) . Beyond this, the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation strategy has committed to achieving a 6% share of SAF in all European airports by 2030 (of which 1.2% will be e-fuels) growing to a 70% share of SAF from 2050 (where 35% will be e-fuels) (European Commission, 2023) . Likewise, the UK’s SAF Mandate sets out to achieve a 10% use of SAF by 2030, scaling up to 22% by 2040 (UK Gov., 2024) . E-methanol and biomethanol Furthermore, e-methanol and biomethanol offer a compelling alternative to traditional heavy fuel oils, currently widely used in the shipping industry. Today, global shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global CO₂ emissions and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set robust targets to minimise these emissions, including a 20% reduction by 2030 and a 70-80% reduction by 2040 (Abnett, 2024) (IMO, 2023) . Switching to e-methanol has the potential to reduce emissions in the shipping sector by 96% over the entire lifecycle of the ship (Amelang, 2025) . Beyond shipping, methanol is exceedingly versatile as a fuel and can also be widely used in the chemical sector as a feedstock for the production of formaldehyde, acetic acid, plastics, and other industrial chemicals. Additionally, methanol can

serve as an energy carrier in power generation and fuel cell applications (WEF, 2025) . Blue hydrogen Finally, blue hydrogen can be used in industries that require high-temperature reactions or large volumes of hydrogen, such as steelmaking, refining, and ammonia production. It is also applied in power generation, heating, and as a fuel for heavy-duty transportation, including buses and trucks. Therefore, blue hydrogen has the potential to address GHG emissions as a fuel “ Blue hydrogen has the potential to address GHG emissions as a fuel substitute in sectors currently responsible for more than 65% of global emissions, particularly supporting the energy transition in hard-to-abate sectors ” substitute in sectors currently responsible for more than 65% of global emissions, particularly supporting the energy transition in hard-to- abate sectors. It also allows customers to keep energy transition costs under control because much of the existing energy infrastructure can be used (Topsoe, 2025) . Conclusion The beauty of eREACT lies in its flexibility, both in terms of output and integration with existing infrastructure. This flexibility, combined with the rapidly declining costs of renewable energy, makes switching to low-carbon fuels a cost-effective alternative. Although this technology is new to the market, Topsoe’s R&D team has been working on it for more than 10 years. Demonstration projects like the one in Foulum, Denmark, the TPP in Germany, and the JDA with Aramco are essential in scaling the technology and helping it to realise its full potential.

eREACT is a trademark of Topsoe.

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Lars Martiny