Published by Todd Bush on March 27, 2025
CHICAGO, March 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) –The electric Tri-Converter converts waste carbon feedstocks into the syngas that supplies the downstream Fischer-Tropsch (FT) unit in the Aether Aurora process. The purpose of the demo was to prove that the electric Tri-Converter can continuously produce syngas at an increasingly larger scale using a mix of real-world feedstocks, including biogenic CO₂, renewable natural gas (RNG), and clean hydrogen. The program is part of Aether Fuels’ plan to build and operate a fully integrated demonstration plant (the "Demo Plant") producing more than one barrel per day of sustainable fuels. Aether plans to complete the construction of the Demo Plant later this year.
The demonstrator is a joint project between Aether Fuels and GTI Energy.
The results of the demonstrator validate that the electric Tri-Converter is ready for integration into the Demo Plant. More critically, they demonstrate the solution’s capability to use a wide range of abundant feedstocks to create sustainable fuels—a breakthrough that can potentially shatter a key barrier to scaling production.
This milestone was celebrated yesterday at the Aether and GTI Energy demonstrator site where Aether investors and feedstock executives joined federal, state and local officials to view the technology, meet the team, tour Aether’s R&D center and GTI Energy lab spaces, and learn how the innovations will accelerate the transition to sustainable fuels. State Senator Laura Murphy (IL-28th) was on hand to deliver opening remarks.
>> In Other News: GeoRedox Announces New Stimulated Geologic Hydrogen Approach and Strategic Partnership with Sage Geosystems
Aether Aurora optimizes the well-established FT process to create drop-in liquid hydrocarbons leveraging its novel electric Tri-Converter and Upgrading technologies. As the solution’s syngas generation engine, the electric Tri-Converter improves and streamlines the process where feedstocks and the internally recycled downstream byproducts are converted into syngas. This is achieved via novel catalysts and a reactor that uses electricity instead of combustion to generate the reaction heat. Where typical syngas production requires multiple reactors to convert the same mix of inputs, Aether Aurora employs just one. The streamlined equipment configuration reduces CAPEX while the electrification innovations generate higher energy efficiency and yields than a conventional combustion reactor.
Aether’s demonstrator is supported by suppliers that include bp for RNG, Invenergy for clean hydrogen production, and Certarus Ltd for low-carbon energy supply and logistics.
State Senator Murphy remarked:"The road to the future is paved in sustainable practices, and GTI Energy and Aether Fuels are at the forefront of this future. They are leading the way in developing energy solutions that will transform how we power industries, transportation and everyday life. Their innovation not only drives us forward, it drives economic growth that supports every hardworking Illinoisan."
Conor Madigan, CEO of Aether, said:"This is an exciting milestone for Aether and a tribute to our R&D experts and our partners at GTI Energy. The aviation and ocean shipping industries need affordable sustainable fuels at scale and the electric Tri-Converter technology is a transformative step forward. It drives critical process simplification and enables cost-efficient feedstock flexibility. When integrated into our Aether Aurora solution we're making SAF production more scalable and cost effective."
Don Stevenson, VP of Carbon Management and Conversion at GTI Energy, said:"GTI Energy has a long history of pioneering advanced energy solutions, and we're proud to see technologies incubated in our labs being integrated into solutions for scaling low-emission fuels. Through collaboration with DOE and companies like Aether Fuels, GTI Energy helps unlock the potential of waste carbon streams while creating economically viable fuels solutions for industries."
Elie Fayad, Senior Director of R&D at Aether, noted:"Today’s milestone represents nearly a decade of dedicated innovation and significant R&D investment by GTI Energy and Aether Fuels. The electric Tri-Converter is one of the breakthroughs in our Aether Aurora solution that drastically improves SAF economics and brings large-scale deployment within reach."
Aether Aurora is trademarked by Aether Fuels.
Aether Fuels is a climate technology company revolutionizing sustainable fuel production to help hard-to-abate industries like aviation and ocean shipping achieve their decarbonization goals. Our breakthrough Aether Aurora™ technology converts waste carbon into drop-in liquid fuels with near-ideal carbon conversion efficiency. The scalable solution addresses the core requirements of next-generation sustainable fuels by increasing production yields and reducing capital costs, while utilizing a diverse range of feedstocks. Founded in 2022 and backed by global investors and partners, we maintain principal offices in the U.S. and Singapore. To learn more, visit www.aetherfuels.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
GTI Energy is a technology development and training organization. Our trusted team works to scale impactful solutions for energy systems by leveraging gases, liquids, infrastructure, and efficiency. We embrace systems thinking, innovation, and collaboration to develop, scale, and deploy the technologies needed for low-emission, low-cost, and resilient energy systems.
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Inside This Issue 🏗️ Hyundai Unveils $6B Hydrogen-Powered Steel Mill in Louisiana, Aims to Position State as National Energy Leader 🤝 Deep Sky Inks Next DAC Deal in Germany with Greenlyte Carbon T...
Inside This Issue 🍁 Inside Canada’s Quiet Takeover of the Carbon Capture Industry ✈️ Phillips 66 to Supply SAF to British Airways in Calif 💧 HyVera Distributed Energy Launches Green Hydrogen-On-De...
Inside This Issue 🌍 1PointFive Announces 50,000 Metric Ton Carbon Removal Agreement with JPMorganChase 📊 Carbon Direct Unveils First Empirical Baseline on Carbon Dioxide Removal and Environmental ...
Approval in Principle (AiP) for World's First LCO₂ / Methanol Carrier
Tokyo, June 30, 2025 - Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) have acquired Approval in Principle (AiP)(Note1) fro...
KAIST AI Advances CO₂-Selective Material Discovery
_Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology_In order to help prevent the climate crisis, actively reducing already-emitted CO₂ is essential. Accordingly, direct air capture (DAC) — a techno...
Arca’s Carbon Removal Methodology Successfully Validated by DNV
Arca, a leader in carbon mineralization technology, has announced the successful validation by DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, of its innovative methodology for permanent...
Massive Investment in Ascension Parish Targets Green Steel, Job Growth, and Hydrogen Infrastructure ASCENSION PARISH, La. — Hyundai has announced plans to invest $6 billion in a cutting-edge, hydr...
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.