Johannesburg, South Africa – Sasol, a global energy and chemicals company and a world leader in Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technologies, Topsoe, a leading global provider of advanced technology and solutions for the energy transition, Griesemann Gruppe, a leading industrial service company in Germany, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have signed a cooperation agreement to enable the construction, operations and R&D activities of DLR’s e-fuels demonstration facility for research and production of e-SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuels).

The demonstration plant forms part of DLR’s e-fuels Technology Platform Power-to-Liquid Fuels (TPP), to be constructed at the Leuna Chemical Complex, Germany.

Commented Sarushen Pillay, Executive Vice President for Business Building, Strategy and Technology at Sasol:
“DLR, Topsoe and Sasol’s collaboration stretches over many years, and we are proud that the TPP received funding, our efficient and high yielding G2L^TM e-fuels technology was selected, and we can be part of demonstrating and developing eFuels production. Together with our partners Topsoe and Griesemann we have a winning team with the expertise to make this project a success, which we believe will be an important step in enabling SAF production at scale, as well as supporting downstream application and flight testing to move us to a fully decarbonised industry.”

Said Elena Scaltritti, CCO at Topsoe:
“Demonstration facilities, like the TPP, are essential for proving the capabilities of new technologies and highlighting the viability of innovative products like e-fuels. We are excited to join forces with DLR, Sasol and Griesemann to develop this demonstration plant as well as the technologies that will support the rollout of power-to-liquid fuels at scale.”

Björn Griesemann, CEO at Griesemann Group, added:
“The Technology Platform Power-to-Liquid Fuels is the basis for future industrial production and the extensive use of sustainable fuels, particularly in aviation. Our engineering enables the technologies developed by Topsoe and Sasol, as well as the research conducted by DLR, to be transferred into feasible, scalable concepts – thus closing the gap between research and practice. Our long-time experience in the implementation of modular projects and renewable energies flows directly into the development of the TPP.”

Concluded Manfred Aigner, Coordinator Sustainable Fuels at DLR:

“The Technology Platform Power-to-Liquid Fuels (TPP) is the next important step in advancing the market ramp-up of PtL-fuels. As a lighthouse project, the TPP offers a unique research platform. Our aim is to work in an application-orientated manner and to close the gap between the laboratory and the refinery in the development of PtL-fuels. For this task we value the co-operation with experienced technology providers.”

The TPP facility began construction on October 1, 2024, and is expected to be the world’s largest research e-fuels production facility and the first in which electricity-based fuels can be demonstrated and tested across the entire technology value chain. The design of the plant allows various processes and technologies to be analysed.

This announcement follows Sasol and Topsoe’s selection late last year to deliver their integrated G2L™ e-fuels technology for the SAF demonstration plant, integrating Topsoe’s innovative eREACT™ technology and hydroprocessing technologies with Sasol’s LTFT™ (low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch) technology. Griesemann Gruppe is working alongside Topsoe and Sasol as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

eREACT™ is a novel technology for production of low-carbon hydrogen and fuels. The heart of the technology is an innovative electrified reactor design, which can convert a variety of feedstocks into low-carbon hydrogen or other chemicals and fuels.

The G2L™ e-fuels process is an end-to-end Single Point Licensing solution enabling the conversion of renewable feedstocks like captured CO2 and hydrogen to e-fuels. It combines and integrates technologies from Topsoe and Sasol to optimise hydrogen utilisation, minimise carbon footprint, maximise yields and provide a reliable solution. The process is fully wrapped by Sasol and Topsoe as a Single Point License.