Technology platform for power-to-liquid fuels (TPP)
Technology platform for power-to-liquid fuels (TPP)
A decisive step for the market ramp-up of electricity-based fuels
Sustainable energy sources are needed for climate and environmentally neutral mobility. In aviation, sustainable liquid hydrocarbons, known as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), are indispensable in the long term due to their high energy density and good storage capacity, especially on medium and long distances. If such fuels are produced from renewable electricity, they are referred to as electricity-based fuels or power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels. In order to optimise the production of PtL-SAF and support the market ramp-up, DLR's Power-to-Liquid Fuels Technology Platform (TPP) is demonstrating the entire process chain from raw material to ready-to-use PtL fuel on a semi-industrial scale.
Power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels are urgently needed for climate-neutral mobility, particularly in air transport. Electricity-based fuels can also make a significant contribution to climate and environmental protection in other areas that are difficult to electrify, such as shipping or parts of ground-based transport. As storable energy sources, they can support the resilience of the energy system. However, PtL fuels are not yet available on the market and the integration of all necessary process steps into an overall system has not yet been demonstrated.
With the Power-to-Liquid Fuels Technology Platform (TPP), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) aims to accelerate the market ramp-up of electricity-based fuels and further develop technologies and processes for their production. The fuel composition, which has a significant influence on the climate impact of aviation, for example through the so-called non-CO2 effects, is also to be optimised. To this end, the overall integration of a production plant of this size is being trialled for the first time.
The start of construction of the TPP was celebrated on 1 October 2024 at the TPP site in Leuna in Saxony-Anhalt. The start of research operations is planned for 2028. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) is funding the construction of the TPP with around 130 million euros. Additional funding is planned for the planned research operations.
World's largest research facility covering the entire PtL technology process
The TPP will have a capacity of around 2,500 tonnes per year. The plant has a modular design so that different production methods and the technologies and components required for them can be analysed and compared in terms of their suitability for practical use. After all, not everything that works on a small scale in the laboratory can be easily transferred to large industrial production plants. The TPP is therefore an important step between research and industrial production. It will be the first research facility in which electricity-based fuels can be tested across the entire technology chain. These fuels will be tested in various applications, for example in aeroplanes.
DLR researchers will use the facility to produce and comprehensively evaluate fuels and optimise the fuel properties for commercial applications in the air, on water and for certain areas of heavy goods transport.
The concept
The TPP maps the entire process chain of electricity-based fuels - from renewable sources (H2, CO2) to utilisation in aircraft or ships. The modular design of the plant allows different processes and technologies to be analysed. The objectives of the research facility are the development, optimisation and upscaling of processes for the production of electricity-based fuels.
In a first step, a synthesis gas is produced from the raw materials CO2 and H2, which are provided from sustainable sources in accordance with the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), in a so-called reverse water-gas shift reaction. In this process step, the CO2 is chemically activated by the added hydrogen and converted to CO. The finished synthesis gas consists of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) in a ratio of 2:1.
Long-chain hydrocarbons of different molecular families and chain lengths are produced from this synthesis gas using the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. The reaction conditions such as pressure and temperature as well as the catalyst used have a major influence on the chain length distribution, which means how many "large" and "small" molecules are contained in the SynCrude (for "synthetic crude oil") produced here. The SynCrude is subsequently processed into fuels such as standardised paraffin.
The TPP makes it possible to actively influence the composition and properties of the fuels produced - in other words, to design fuels that not only meet current standards, but are also optimised for future applications. In this way, the TPP supports the development of standards and specifications for future fuels.
The TPP research network
The infrastructure of the facility, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV), is not only available to researchers from DLR. It can be used by all interested industrial companies and research institutions from all over Europe for their own research purposes. The guiding principle for the collaboration is to offer non-discriminatory access to the TPP. All interested stakeholders from research, industry and application are invited to use the TPP and its products for research and development purposes.
The prerequisites for this are a technically feasible and funded project concept as well as compatibility with the overarching objectives of the TPP, which are defined in the guiding research questions. Interested parties can contact DLR with project proposals at any time. To present your project idea, please contact the TPP project team (see contact details below).
In addition, a regular exchange of expertise takes place within the framework of status conferences and network meetings, to which stakeholders are cordially invited. Participation in the TPP events is open to all experts in the named research topics.
The PtL technology platform consists of a demonstration and a research element. The focus of the demonstration element is achieving the most efficient production of e-fuels on a semi-industrial level. The research element focuses on the development of technologies to optimise production processes and fuel properties.
Animation: PtL technology platform (TPP) – an overview of the central components
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Animation: PtL technology platform (TPP) – an overview of the central components
The PtL technology platform consists of a demonstration and a research element. The focus of the demonstration element is achieving the most efficient production of e-fuels on a semi-industrial level. The research element focuses on the development of technologies to optimise production processes and fuel properties.
»The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport as part of the Funding Programme Renewable Fuels. The PtL technology platform (TPP) is coordinated by NOW GmbH and supported by the project management agency VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH
