Air Fuel Synthesis is the specialist "Fuels from Air" company, focusing on the use of renewable energy to add value to non fossil based carbon dioxide. Whilst other companies consider the sequestration of fossil CO2 into storage our solution avoids the use of fossil fuels and creates carbon neutral fuel loops.

The AFS ethos is very much about sustainability both for the investor to make a commercial return and to make a very positive global contribution by ensuring there is a continued supply of oil based products once availability of fossil oil becomes a serious problem.

AFS has a small team of first class chemical engineers, scientists, and business managers with proven commercial expertise. The company operates from central location at Loughborough, Leicestershire with the pilot facility being developed at the research facilities at Wilton on Teesside [ photos of whittle farm and Wilton site]

The Air Fuel Synthesis business and strategy is currently focussed on developing a 5 litre per day demonstration unit at Wilton and developing a business plan which will help the company implement its concept world wide. The business is currently adequately equity funded and seeks further investment from additional like minded champions of the long term vision of a technology that can replace oil and support a sustainable world.

The AFS mission

Energy security and ambitious carbon reduction targets drive demand for drop in, carbon-neutral and sustainable fuels. This demand is particularly strong in our initial niche markets, especially motorsports.

AFS fuels using renewable energy, provide an appropriate response to carbon-induced climate change and mitigate the effects of the energy descent from the fossil oil era.  As fossil fuels suffer supply constraints, declining availability, and rise rapidly in cost, opportunities for AFS will increase.

Relationships with partners across the sustainable energy supply chain will help to develop markets with particularly strong initial opportunity.

Air Fuel Synthesis recognises that:

1) Demand for carbon-emissions-reducing transport technologies will grow as climate change demands and legislation put pressure on existing systems. New technologies must prove themselves in today’s markets before they will be adopted widely.

2) Conventional oil supplies are depleting rapidly with global 'Peak Oil' having already occurred.

3) Unconventional oil from shale, tar sands, gas-to-liquids, coal-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids will not be sufficient to meet the shortfall in transport fuels. Peak coal and peak gas are not far behind peak oil.

4) Biofuels will not be available in sufficient quantities to meet the shortfall in transport fuels - The UK in particular cannot grow enough biofuels for its need.

5) Electric and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles will have a role in the low-carbon future but the range of these vehicles will be too short for aviation, long-distance road freight and international shipping.

6) The shift to electric and hydrogen technologies will take a long time; requiring major changes to energy supply infrastructures and will be very expensive. The batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) in particular will be prohibitively expensive except for short-range operation.

7) The release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is causing dangerous climate change. The release of carbon dioxide must therefore be drastically reduced. The conversion of coal to liquid fuels is particularly disadvantageous because of conversion inefficiencies and the high carbon content of coal. Approximately 3 molecules of carbon dioxide are produced for every atom of carbon contained in the fuel produced.

8) Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is expensive and energy intensive; the risk of carbon dioxide release from CCS is considerable; locations for permanent storage of carbon dioxide would quickly become too full to use and carbon capture and use (CCU) makes better economic sense.

9) Many remote locations in the world have large-scale, affordable renewable energy resources but connection of renewable energy generation to the electricity grid is uneconomic. These locations can benefit from AFS plants manufacturing sustainable liquid fuels. In the UK, the wind power resource will be particularly suitable for AFS.

Technology involved in creating carbon neutral, sustainable fuel from renewable electricity

Our proven demonstrator unit shows that AFS renewable fuel technology is practical and viable. The investors who have funded our increasingly successful liquid fuel demonstrator programme have a long-term vision of a green, environmentally friendly technology that can replace fossil fuels and support a sustainable economy and society.

As our operational experience and expertise develop we – and our customers and partners - are increasingly well placed to mitigate against ever-rising fossil fuel prices, energy security concerns and climate-changing carbon emissions.

Air Fuel Synthesis sustainable fuel alternative overview

Anyone who recognises the current situation with fossil fuels and the absolute need to explore sustainable alternatives will see the strategic importance of Air Fuel Synthesis  carbon neutral fuels.

The market potential for this process is huge -  a replacement for oil.

The concept is novel and capital intensive, however a project has very little operating costs and can offer fuel at a predictable and potentially fixed price for a very long period. 

AFS wants to stimulate an equivalent focus on its concept for funding and policy development as existing initiatives such as biofuels, electric and hydrogen vehicles, carbon capture and storage, and from fossil fuel exploration.

AFS wishes to develop relations with technology partners to establish large scale supply capabilities to support uptake of the AFS approach. The key commercial feature of the process is its independence from oil price and availability.

AFS currently has funding to construct a demonstration unit. AFS intends to develop a pilot plant which will include:

• First of a series of scale up projecst of 1 – 10 tonnes per day.
• Designing optimum sized units and developing, engineering and manufacturing techniques.
• Integrating all the system components, tuning for optimum performance, and developing control systems.
• Productizing individual components or whole systems for independent retail e.g. containerized fuel systems and CO2 capture and release technology.
• Developing a range of commercial agreements with technology partners.
• Exploit agreements with fuel technology companies by establishing non-fossil CO2 projects.

 AFS will also look to:

• Undertake commercial opportunity assessment taking in market, technology, and geographic options.
• Develop detailed engineering studies, estimates, and plans.
• Undertake commercial and system modeling to determine optimum product mix.
• To prepare  full techno / economic proposals.
• Marketing and raise funding for future phases