RegeN Chemical Technologies

Better and faster earth-abundant metal catalysts for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuels.

About Us

We are working on an innovative biofuels project at Queen’s University Belfast that we believe can address the need for sustainable fuels for the aviation industry. We are developing sustainable technologies for net-zero carbon emissions using earth-abundant metals like copper (Cu) for upgrading biomass-derived chemicals to sustainable fuels especially for the aviation fuel industry which will help us directly to achieve the NetZero target by 2050.

The problem our project will resolve.

In the past decade, global warming has risen to unprecedented levels, driven primarily by increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These emissions, responsible for over 60% of direct global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, have escalated since 1990, surpassing 35 billion tonnes annually.

Key sectors such as electricity, heat production, transport, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture contribute significantly to this alarming trend. The aviation industry emerged as a significant contributor to carbon emissions, accounting to nearly 800 Mt CO2 emissions in 2022, surpassing rail, road, or shipping.

Aviation plays a vital role in domestic and international connectivity, trade, and investment and estimated to increase by an average of 4.3% per annum over the next 20 years. Hence, without substantial reductions in aviation industry’s GHG emissions, meeting projected carbon budgets and reducing impacts of climate change will become highly impracticable. Urgent action is required to decarbonize this critical sector and mitigate the climate crisis.

Introducing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

A liquid fuel that can be produced from biomass, waste oil and agricultural green waste. Unlike conventional fossil fuels that contribute to CO₂ levels, SAF actively recycles CO₂ absorbed by biomass during its lifecycle. With the potential to contribute approximately up to 65% of the emission reductions required for aviation to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050, SAF emerges as a pivotal solution for a sustainable aviation industry. This will require a massive increase in innovative production routes to meet demand.

At RegeN, our research involves catalytic upgrading of biomass derived platform chemicals present in process waters to sustainable aviation fuels. We develop novel catalysts and process technologies for production of SAF using sustainable earth abundant metal catalysts such as copper. The project employs innovative catalysts and reaction engineering tools to leverage biomass-derived feedstocks for production of sustainable aviation fuels.

We have optimized hydrothermal liquefication process for production of a blend of levulinic acid, succinic acid, and glycolic acid from waste biomass using doped zirconia catalysts. These bio-derived precursor chemicals can be subsequently upgraded to SAF using our innovative earth-abundant copper-based catalysts.

The RegeN process offers several environmental advantages. We employ mechanochemical synthesis, green alternative to traditional catalyst production methods, enhancing metal dispersion and surface area. The sustainable fuels, derived from biomass, present a significant reduction in the carbon footprint compared to traditional fossil-fuel based jet fuels. By integrating bio-based fuels into aviation, greenhouse gas emissions can transition towards a more environmentally friendly operation. Incorporating bio-based aviation fuels is a key step towards achieving net-zero carbon goals. This transition is essential for meeting global climate targets and ensuring a sustainable future for air travel.

Learn More

We are developing sustainable technologies for net-zero carbon emissions. Our technology can be used by licensing the existing energy/refinery companies for production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). This technology offers better and faster catalysts, resulting in two-fold increase in productivity of fuel precursors, that too by using the earth-abundant copper-based metals instead of scarce and toxic precious noble-metal catalysts. Also, the catalysts synthesis protocols are based on solvent-less mechanochemical methods delivering the greener environmental impact.