Decarbonisation Technology February 2026 Issue

systems, which generate more methane. The catalyst can be tuned to reduce aromatics and mitigate contrail-related climate impacts. MTJ converts methanol to C₈-C₁₆ hydrocarbons via dehydration to dimethylether (DME),

Jet fuel

Green H from renewable power

Diesel

CO + H Liquid fuels Catalytic hydrogenation Methanol, Fischer-Tropsch fuels Electrocatalytic reduction Ethanol, higher alcohols Photocatalytic reduction Methane, methanol

Amine solvents, MOFs or membranes CO capture & purication

Captured CO

Methanol

DME-to-olefins, and subsequent oligomerisation, hydrogenation, and

Fuel separation & conditioning

Carbon-neutral fuel cycle

Ethanol

hydrocracking (Elwalily, et al., 2025) . Bifunctional catalysts combining

Figure 5 Direct CO₂-to-fuel pathways

fuels compatible with existing infrastructure. Beyond the widely studied CO₂-to-methanol route, current research has expanded toward higher alcohols, jet, and diesel- range hydrocarbons, and electrochemical or photocatalytic CO₂ reduction (see Figure 5 ). CO₂-to-jet and diesel-range fuels CO₂-derived hydrocarbons can be produced via a two-step hydrogenation pathway in which CO₂ is first converted to CO through the RWGS reaction, followed by FT synthesis. FT is a highly exothermic polymerisation process that converts CO/H₂ into hydrocarbons ranging from gasoline and jet fuel to diesel. Major products are linear paraffins/waxes and olefins, with oxygenates formed as minor components. Product distribution depends strongly on catalyst formulation and operating conditions (Yohannes & Gates, 2026) . Enhancing C₅ ⁺ selectivity while suppressing methane formation remains the central challenge. Catalyst design is therefore critical. Cobalt, iron or bimetallic catalysts are widely applied. Co-based systems dominate industrial FT due to high activity, resistance to deactivation, and cost-effectiveness. High-surface-area supports such as SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and carbon materials disperse the metallic Co sites; Al₂O₃ is especially valued for stabilising small clusters and providing attrition resistance ( Shimura, et al., 2014 ). Fe-based catalysts are attractive for CO₂ hydrogenation because their magnetite Fe₃O₄ phase catalyses RWGS, while χ -Fe₅C₂ (Hägg

acidic zeolites (H-ZSM-5, SAPO) with metal sites (Ni, Pt, Co) govern chain growth and saturation. Although technically promising, MTJ commercialisation is limited by costs, which are estimated to be 1.2-7× those of fossil jet fuel (Elwalily, et al., 2025) , and by the absence of full ASTM certification. ExxonMobil, Topsoe, and Honeywell UOP are pursuing MTJ, with ExxonMobil initiating SAF production at its Port Jérôme Gravenchon refinery (ExxonMobil, 2025) . Methanol produced using the ExxonMobil MTJ process is progressing through the ASTM D4054 fuel qualification to certify this route under ASTM D7566 (CAAFI, 2025) . EU policy – particularly ReFuelEU Aviation – aims to accelerate scale-up, while the SkyPower consortium targets first large-scale e-SAF final investment decisions (FIDs) by 2025 and costs of €5-8/kg by 2030 (Leahy, 2025) . Several pilot and pre-commercial projects (Nacero, meSAF, Jiutai Group, Shuangyashan, and others) are planned, supported by expanding renewable-methanol capacity. While MTJ remains early in deployment and not yet fully certified, ongoing optimisation and policy support position it as a credible near-term contributor to net-zero aviation (Elwalily, et al., 2025) . Direct CO₂-to-fuel technologies beyond methanol The transition toward carbon-neutral energy systems requires scalable technologies capable of directly converting captured CO₂ into liquid