RMIT researchers have developed a carbon‑conversion technology that may one day help turn industrial emissions into jet fuel, by simplifying how carbon dioxide is recycled.
The system combines carbon removal and conversion into a single process, reducing the energy use and complexity that limits many existing approaches. The technology is designed with real‑world industrial settings in mind.
Distinguished Professor Tianyi Ma from RMIT’s School of Science said carbon conversion had traditionally been treated as separate steps, increasing cost and slowing progress.
“Current approaches had often been inefficient and energy‑intensive,” Ma said.
“By bringing the steps of conversion together, we have been able to simplify the process and reduce unnecessary energy losses.”
The technology turns carbon dioxide from industrial exhaust gases into basic chemical building blocks that can be used to make jet fuel and other products that are currently made mostly from fossil resources.
The new system does not directly produce jet fuel but converts carbon dioxide into ingredients that can be upgraded into low‑emissions jet fuel and other carbon‑based products using established industrial processes.
A practical role in aviation’s transition
Aviation remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Battery‑powered aircraft are unlikely to serve long‑distance routes at scale, and demand for sustainable aviation fuel continues to exceed global supply.
Rather than replacing existing fuel technologies, the RMIT system is positioned as a complementary option. It offers another pathway to generate the materials needed for low‑emissions jet fuel and other carbon‑based products, particularly near large and difficult‑to‑abate sources of industrial emissions.
Dr Peng Li, lead author of the study, said the research focused on improving efficiency and practicality.
“Our approach has reduced the number of processing steps and lowered energy demand compared with conventional systems,” Li said.
“The RMIT system operates without the need for highly purified carbon dioxide, which is important in real industrial environments.”
The research, published in the international journal Nature Energy, outlines a complete carbon‑conversion system. Independent expert Dr Federico Dattila, from the Polytechnic University of Turin, wrote in Nature Energy that the team’s advances brought industry a step closer to low‑energy systems that can convert CO₂ in a fully integrated process.
Scaling up with industry partners
To ensure the technology can operate outside the laboratory, the team has been working on scaling it up. They have designed and completed a three‑kilowatt prototype system to test performance under industrial conditions.
The next step is to build a 20‑kilowatt pilot system to further validate the technology and demonstrate how it integrates with real industrial carbon‑emission sources.
This scale-up effort is supported by growing industry engagement. The team is partnering with Viva Energy, Hart Bioenergy, T-Power, Aqualux Energy, CO2CRC, ViPlus Dairy and CarbonNet on pilot-scale development and future deployment pathways, helping ensure the technology aligns with emissions reduction goals and existing industrial infrastructure.
Ma said collaboration was essential to moving from research to impact.
“Scaling up has to happen hand in hand with industry,” he said.
“That is the only way to understand what would work in practice and what still needs improvement.”
The research team aims to develop a 100‑kilowatt demonstration system within the next five years and achieve commercial‑scale readiness in around six years. This timeline reflects a staged and realistic pathway for validating performance, cost and durability before wider deployment.
Hart Bioenergy’s chief executive Doug Hartmann said the technology offered both environmental and operational benefits.
“This innovation has shown how emissions reduction could go alongside cost efficiency and better energy use,” he said.
“It points to production processes that can benefit the environment without ignoring economic realities.”
Realistic next steps
With strong support from industry partners and growing interest from investors, the team is progressing with a spin‑off company from RMIT to explore commercial pathways for the technology.
Future development will focus on demonstrating performance at larger scale and assessing how the system could contribute to producing jet fuel, industrial chemicals and materials using converted carbon.
Ma said the work should be viewed as one part of a broader transition.
“This is not a silver bullet,” he said.
“It is about developing practical tools that could help industries and governments reduce emissions while making use of existing systems during the transition to cleaner fuels.”
