Aviation accounts for a significant portion of global carbon emissions, prompting international expansion of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandates. While the industry currently relies heavily on used cooking oil for SAF production, that resource remains limited and expensive due to competing uses like biodiesel. Landfill gas from food waste and livestock manure, however, is abundant and inexpensive.
A research team led by Dr. Yun-Jo Lee at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, partnering with EN2CORE Technology, has successfully demonstrated an integrated process that converts this readily available waste into high-value jet fuel. The pilot facility, constructed at a landfill site in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, occupies just 100 square meters—roughly the size of a two-story house—yet produces 100 kilograms of sustainable aviation fuel daily with liquid fuel selectivity exceeding 75 percent.
The innovation lies in combining several breakthrough technologies. EN2CORE handles the upstream work, collecting landfill gas and treating it through desulfurization and membrane-based separation to remove excess carbon dioxide. The purified gas then passes through a proprietary plasma reforming reactor that converts it into synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
KRICT applies the Fischer-Tropsch process to transform this syngas into liquid fuels using specially developed zeolite and cobalt-based catalysts that significantly improve selectivity toward liquid fuels rather than solid byproducts. A key advancement is the microchannel reactor, which features alternating layers of catalyst and coolant channels. This design enables rapid heat removal and prevents thermal runaway that could damage catalysts, while reducing reactor volume by up to ninety percent compared to conventional systems.
Production capacity can be expanded simply by adding modules, making the technology scalable for deployment at local landfills and small waste treatment facilities. The team is currently optimizing long-term operation conditions and further enhancing catalyst and reactor performance. This achievement represents the first domestic demonstration of aviation fuel production using landfill gas as the primary feedstock, potentially contributing to decentralized SAF production systems worldwide.