Decarbonisation Technology February 2026 Issue

these with HB to greatly reduce emissions. Major projects such as NEOM (Saudi Arabia) and Scatec-ACME (Oman) have reached FID. As an alternative to renewable-driven HB, electrochemical ammonia synthesis operates at low temperature and pressure by splitting water and reducing N₂ within an electrolyser. Its main hurdles are low yields and conversion efficiency, prompting ongoing efforts to design more active, selective electrocatalysts (Ye, et al., 2017) . Challenges and barriers The global energy transition is essential for environmental protection and sustainable development, requiring a gradual reduction in fossil fuel use. In contrast to finite fossil resources, e-fuels produced from renewable electricity, water, and captured CO₂ can be generated wherever renewable energy is available, though integrating production with variable renewables remains challenging. As fossil dependence falls, carbon captured via carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) and DAC is expected to become increasingly important. E-fuels release only the CO₂ previously captured and contain no sulphur, but rely on scarce noble metals for electrolysis and face end-of-life issues for renewable infrastructure. Their production is highly energy-intensive: supplying 50% of Europe’s transport energy with e-fuels would require about 2,720 TWh of additional renewable electricity – roughly 75% of current EU generation – highlighting scalability constraints (Dell’Aversano, et al., 2024) . Technology readiness is not yet sufficiently mature for deployment. PEM and SOEC electrolysers remain at TRLs 5-7 and 3-5, respectively, while post-combustion CO₂ capture has reached TRL 9. Fuel-synthesis routes such as FT and methanol synthesis are more mature (TRL 6-9) but still commercially limited (Dell’Aversano, et al., 2024) . Economic and regulatory barriers further slow expansion. High costs, insufficient standards, and weak incentives restrict uptake, and only a few major economies, such as the US, India, the EU, Japan, and Canada, include e-fuels in their national hydrogen strategies. Key EU policies, including ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime, aim to drive adoption, targeting 35%

e-fuel use in aviation by 2050 and 2% in maritime fuels by 2034. Conclusion Synthetic e-fuels represent an important pathway for decarbonising hard-to-electrify sectors, offering compatibility with existing energy infrastructure while enabling the utilisation of captured CO₂ and renewable hydrogen. Significant advances in methanol-based routes, CO₂-to- hydrocarbon synthesis, higher-alcohol production, and e-ammonia are approaching technological maturity. However, most systems remain constrained by high energy demand, limited “ E-fuels form a critical component of a diversified net-zero energy strategy, bridging present technological limitations and future large-scale sustainable fuel production pathways ” catalyst stability, and elevated production costs. Large-scale deployment further depends on expanding renewable electricity capacity, lowering renewable hydrogen and carbon capture costs, and strengthening policy frameworks such as ReFuelEU and FuelEU Maritime. While current pilot and pre-commercial initiatives show promising progress, widespread adoption will require continued innovation in electrolyser technologies, catalytic systems, and integrated process design. Overall, e-fuels form a critical component of a diversified net-zero energy strategy, bridging present technological limitations and future large-scale sustainable fuel production pathways.

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Eser Dinçer Hafızoğlu eser.hafizoglu@socar.com.tr Tuğçe Özperçin Aysel Zahidova Vahide Mutlu vahide.mutlu@socar.com.tr