Power-to-Liquid Plant in Werlte, Emsland

Our facility in Werlte, located in the Emsland region of Germany, uses locally generated wind and solar power, CO₂ captured from an on-site biogas plant and from the atmosphere, as well as water, to produce synthetic crude oil. At the Heide refinery, this synthetic crude oil is further processed into kerosene, which is then delivered to Hamburg Airport and blended into the aviation fuel system as a climate-neutral fuel. At the Werlte site, we have installed a number of innovative technologies, some of which are being operated in an industrial environment for the very first time. In doing so, we make an important contribution to accelerating the scale-up of key technology building blocks required for sustainable fuel production. Below, we present the individual plant components and explain their role within the integrated production process.

Electricity from Renewable Sources

The electricity used in our facility comes exclusively from renewable sources and does not compete with the energy transition.

For our fairfuel facility, we exclusively use electricity from nearby wind and solar power plants. These plants no longer receive support under Germany’s renewable energy support scheme and would otherwise be taken offline because they are no longer economically viable without subsidies. By purchasing their electricity, we extend the economic lifetime of these facilities and ensure that our fairfuel production does not compete with the energy transition or the ongoing shift of electricity generation from coal and natural gas to renewable energy sources.

Direct-Air-Capture Module

Here, we capture CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. This process is highly energy-intensive.

For a fuel to be carbon-neutral, the same amount of CO₂ that is released during combustion must first be removed from the atmosphere. One way to achieve this is through Direct Air Capture, a process in which CO₂ is filtered directly from ambient air. Because the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere is relatively low, this approach is significantly more energy- and resource-intensive than capturing CO₂ from a point source. At our facility, Direct Air Capture provides approximately 2.3% of the CO₂ required for fuel production.

Biogas Plant

The biogas plant located on-site produces concentrated CO₂ as a by-product, which we use as one of the carbon sources for fuel synthesis.

During the decomposition of organic material in a biogas plant, methane is produced along with CO₂ at a relatively high concentration. This CO₂ would normally be released into the atmosphere, but we use it as a feedstock for our fairfuel production. The carbon contained in this CO₂ was originally absorbed by plants through photosynthesis in previous years. As a result, its use for fuel production remains carbon-neutral.

Elektrolyser

In the electrolyser, hydrogen is produced from water using electricity.

Alongside carbon, hydrogen is the second key component required for the production of synthetic fuels. Hydrogen is produced from water through electrolysis using electrical energy. Our electrolyser is based on a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), which is surrounded by water and uses electricity to separate H₂ and O₂. The system was built by Siemens Energy.

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Here, carbon and hydrogen are synthesized into hydrocarbons, which serve as the feedstock for the refinery.

In the synthesis unit, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are converted into synthesis gas and subsequently into synthetic crude oil, the precursor for atmosfair fairfuel. This is achieved using the Fischer–Tropsch process, which was developed by the German chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in the 1920s. At temperatures between 150°C and 300°C, long-chain hydrocarbons are formed in the presence of metal catalysts. These hydrocarbons can then be refined into kerosene in a conventional refinery.

Refinery

Here, the synthetic hydrocarbons are refined into kerosene and supplied to the airport as aviation fuel.

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