A large-scale solar-driven direct air capture and utilisation process to produce sustainable aviation fuel

A large-scale solar-driven direct air capture and utilisation process to produce sustainable aviation fuel | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A large-scale solar-driven direct air capture and utilisation process to produce sustainable aviation fuel Meihong Wang, Yide Han, Olajide Otitoju, Ariane Kamkeng, Hui Yan, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5065108/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Renewable energy-powered direct air capture (DAC) combined with CO2 utilisation offers a sustainable decarbonisation strategy for a circular economy. However, current liquid-based DAC (L-DAC) technology relies on natural gas combustion for high-temperature calcination. This paper proposes a process design for a solar-driven L-DAC system capable of capturing 1MtCO2/year. The proposed system uses a hydrogen fluidised solar calciner and is integrated with onsite CO2 conversion to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via a one-step direct CO2-Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). This work employs a combination of methodologies, including process modelling, simulation, scale-up and comprehensive techno-economic assessment. Key findings from this work include: (a) L-DAC with solar calciner harnesses thermal energy from sunlight, saving 63% electricity consumption and reducing onsite CO2 emissions by 59%; (b) The minimum selling price of SAF produced by solar-driven L-DAC with direct CO2-FTS is US$4.62 kg-1 which is cost-effective when compared to the stepwise process; (c) Sensitivity analysis based on geographical locations indicates that the most favourable deployment locations are low-risk countries with high solar irradiance and low hydrogen cost; (d) A detailed roadmap outlining the transition from first-of-a-kind (FOAK) plants to Nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) plants, demonstrates the potential for commercialisation of the technology to policymakers and industry investors. Thus, this study provides valuable insights into the development and operation of next-generation large-scale L-DAC with CO2 utilisation powered entirely by renewable energy. Physical sciences/Engineering/Chemical engineering Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Carbon capture and storage Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Energy modelling Direct air capture CO2 utilisation sustainable aviation fuel solar energy calcination Fisher-Tropsch synthesis process modelling/simulation scale-up techno-economic assessment life-cycle assessment Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files RevisedSupplementaryInformationclean.docx Revised_Supplementary_Information_clean Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5065108","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":494931688,"identity":"f0167900-8600-4fc9-ac11-c312795f5bc3","order_by":0,"name":"Meihong 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