Fuels

While direct electrification is the most efficient use of energy for most applications, certain sectors currently require energy-dense fuels that can be stored, transported, and used in ways that electricity alone cannot provide. Clean fuels, those produced using electricity and effective feedstocks, offer bridging solutions for these hard-to-electrify applications while also providing valuable grid services through energy storage and load balancing.

Direct use of electricity is highly efficient for most applications, but fuels offer distinct advantages in specific contexts. Aviation and long-distance shipping require energy densities that current battery technologies cannot match. Heavy industrial processes like steel production need extremely high temperatures or specific chemical reducing agents. Existing infrastructure, such as pipelines, storage facilities, ships, aircraft, represents trillions of dollars of investment that can potentially be leveraged with compatible fuels. Additionally, fuels provide long-duration energy storage at scales and durations difficult to achieve with batteries, enabling seasonal storage and grid balancing for electricity systems with high variable generation.

Grid integration and energy storage 

Fuel production can serve as a flexible load on the electrical grid. During periods of surplus electricity generation, fuel synthesis can ramp up, storing energy in chemical form. When electricity demand exceeds generation, fuel production can decrease or stored fuels can be used to generate electricity. This flexibility helps stabilize grids with significant solar and wind generation, converting what would be curtailed excess electricity into storable, transportable fuel.

RASEI researchers are exploring multiple pathways for modern fuel production, each suited to different applications and feedstock availability.

Hydrogen production 

Hydrogen production through electrolysis uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can fuel vehicles, provide high-temperature heat for industry, serve as a chemical feedstock, or be converted to electricity when needed. RASEI's electrocatalysis research focuses on developing more efficient processes that reduce the electricity required per unit of hydrogen produced, lowering costs and improving overall energy efficiency. 

Ammonia Production 

Ammonia production offers advantages for certain applications. Ammonia (NH₃) is easier to store and transport than hydrogen, has existing global production and distribution infrastructure (currently used as a fertilizer), and can be used directly as a fuel or converted to hydrogen. RASEI researchers are developing electrocatalytic and photocatalytic routes for ammonia production that bypass the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, potentially significantly reducing production energy requirements.

Biofuels 

Biofuels leverage biological processes to convert biomass into liquid fuels compatible with existing engines and infrastructure. RASEI's bio-catalysis work explores how to make biofuel production more efficient and cost-effective, including engineered organisms that convert waste materials or atmospheric carbon into fuel precursors. These approaches could produce drop-in replacements for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel without requiring new infrastructure.

Synthetic fuels (e-fuels) 

Synthetic fuels use captured carbon dioxide and clean hydrogen to produce liquid hydrocarbons chemically identical to petroleum-derived fuels. This approach combines carbon utilization with fuel synthesis, creating fuels that can use existing distribution infrastructure and engines while cycling carbon rather than adding new fossil carbon to the system. RASEI's catalysis research addresses key bottlenecks in these synthetic pathways, working to reduce energy requirements and improve selectivity for desired fuel molecules.

Technical and economic challenges

Modern fuel production currently faces several challenges. Energy efficiency, essentially the round-trip efficiency of electricity to fuel and back to useful energy, is lower than direct electrification, making fuels most valuable where electric alternatives aren't viable. Production costs remain higher than fossil fuels in most cases, though this gap is narrowing as electricity costs decline and production technologies improve. Scaling production to meet demand in aviation, shipping, and industry will require significant manufacturing capacity and infrastructure development.

RASEI research addresses these challenges through fundamental catalyst development, process optimization, and systems analysis. Investigations include improving the efficiency of individual chemical reactions and understanding how fuel production can integrate economically into energy systems. The goal is developing fuel production pathways that are technically viable, economically competitive, and scalable to meet demand in sectors where direct electrification faces fundamental limitations.