Electric vehicles can help reduce carbon emissions from automobiles, but aviation presents a different challenge. Aircraft require vast amounts of onboard energy to fly long distances, making it difficult for today’s battery technology alone to power large commercial aircraft.

For this reason, e-SAF (Electric Sustainable Aviation Fuel), a synthetic aviation fuel produced using renewable electricity, is gaining attention as a potential lower-carbon alternative to conventional aviation fuel.

Most SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) produced today is made from biomass feedstocks such as waste cooking oil and animal fats. However, the supply of these feedstocks is limited, and their use may compete with food resources and land use. As demand for aviation fuel grows, securing a stable supply of feedstocks could therefore become increasingly difficult.

e-SAF has emerged as a solution that can help address these limitations. It is produced using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power by combining carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from industrial facilities and power plants with green hydrogen. Because water, electricity, and carbon dioxide can be used as inputs, e-SAF theoretically faces fewer feedstock constraints and offers strong potential for scalability. It can also contribute to reducing carbon emissions from aviation by creating a circular carbon system in which emitted carbon is reused to produce fuel.

Why Is e-SAF Gaining Global Attention?

SAF and e-SAF currently cost more to produce than conventional aviation fuel. Despite the higher costs, countries around the world are expanding the market by introducing mandates for the use of sustainable aviation fuels as part of their efforts to decarbonize aviation.

In 2023, the European Union announced the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative, which requires SAF to be blended into fuel supplied for all flights departing from EU airports as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from air transport. The EU also plans to gradually increase the mandatory blending share of e-SAF to as much as 35% by 2050.

To support this transition, several European countries are pursuing government-led long-term purchase agreements and auction systems. These measures are intended to help producers secure stable revenues and attract the large-scale investment needed to expand production.

Despite policy uncertainty, the United States continues to develop the industry around projects already underway. China is also expected to begin actively fostering its SAF and e-SAF industries through its 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030. As major economies strategically develop their clean aviation fuel industries, e-SAF is emerging as one of the technologies expected to support aviation decarbonization efforts.

A Simpler and More Efficient Path to e-SAF Production

How, then, is e-SAF produced?

Today, leading global companies produce e-SAF through a series of chemical reactions. One widely used approach is the CO-FT process. In this process, carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured from industrial facilities is first converted into carbon monoxide (CO) through an RWGS (Reverse Water-Gas Shift) reaction. The carbon monoxide is then converted into liquid fuel through the FT (Fischer–Tropsch) process.*

*FT process: A process in which carbon monoxide (CO) reacts with a catalyst under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions to produce hydrocarbons.

However, this approach involves multiple stages, including the initial conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and its subsequent conversion into fuel. It is similar to making several transfers before reaching a destination. As the process becomes more complex, both energy consumption and facility investment costs increase.

LG Chem is developing next-generation e-SAF technology to overcome these limitations. While conventional technology follows a multistep route of “CO₂ → CO → FT → Cracking → e-SAF,” the technology under development at LG Chem uses a more streamlined direct-conversion process of “CO₂ → FT → e-SAF.” In particular, a low-temperature CO₂-FT process capable of directly converting CO₂ could eliminate the intermediate CO production step, further improving overall process efficiency.

The difference can be compared to creating a marble sculpture. Conventional technology first builds a solid block by stacking individual pieces of marble and then carves the block into its final form. LG Chem’s next-generation technology, by contrast, is more like shaping the sculpture directly from the outset, achieving the desired form in a single process.

If commercialized, this technology could produce more e-SAF using less energy and fewer facilities, helping reduce costs while improving production efficiency. It is also expected to advance the economic viability of e-SAF production and create new technological competitiveness in the global clean aviation fuel market.

Moving Beyond Theory: Demonstrating e-SAF at Industrial Scale

LG Chem’s e-SAF technology has also gained external recognition through the company’s selection as the lead organization for a government-led CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization) Mega Project. The technology has now entered the demonstration stage, where its ability to convert discarded carbon dioxide into valuable aviation fuel will be validated at an actual industrial scale.

As conflicts in the Middle East and instability across global supply chains continue, energy security and feedstock independence are becoming increasingly important. Recognizing the strategic value of this technology, the Korean government has increased its investment in related programs and initiatives. If successfully implemented, the technology could reuse carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as a feedstock for fuel production. In this way, it could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and help secure a future source of energy.

Building a Sustainable Future Through Clean Technology

Developing an entirely new catalyst technology is no simple task. A catalyst facilitates chemical reactions by helping them proceed more efficiently. Next-generation fuel technologies such as e-SAF are highly complex fields that require not only strong catalyst performance but also a detailed understanding of reaction mechanisms, process stability, and production efficiency.

Bringing a new technology into the world requires countless experiments and rounds of verification. In some cases, years of research may produce only one small breakthrough. New technologies can become a reality only through the persistence and dedication of researchers who continue searching for solutions despite repeated setbacks.

In preparation for the e-SAF market, which is expected to begin growing in earnest after 2030, LG Chem is proactively advancing both technology development and demonstration. Going beyond incremental process improvements, the company is focused on strengthening its technological competitiveness by developing next-generation catalyst and process technologies that directly convert carbon dioxide into aviation fuel.

To achieve this goal, LG Chem continues to enhance its research capabilities for identifying complex reaction mechanisms and precisely analyzing catalyst structures and performance. The company also plans to accelerate technology development through collaboration with industry, academia, and research institutes, as well as through demonstration projects, while establishing a foundation for commercialization at an early stage.

LG Chem believes the expertise and know-how built through this process will serve as a lasting competitive advantage.

As carbon neutrality becomes an increasingly important priority across industries, LG Chem continues to advance e-SAF technology based on its accumulated expertise in catalysts, processes, and R&D. By developing technology that transforms carbon dioxide into valuable aviation fuel, LG Chem will help support the aviation industry’s transition toward lower-carbon fuel solutions.
 

-Written by. Seungwon Park, Professional, Green Energy Catalysis Technology PJT, Platform Technology R&D Center)