DUS Airport and Greenlyte Carbon Technologies Plan to Build the World's First Integrated DAC-to-SAF System

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) and Greenlyte Carbon Technologies have joined forces to change the future of sustainability in aviation. At the airport's annual New Year's reception on January 16, 2025, Greenlyte presented plans to build the SAF Reallabor, the world's first fully integrated Direct Air Capture to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (DAC-to-SAF) facility, to 800 guests, including Mona Neubaur (Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia), Oliver Krischer (Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) and Dr. Stephan Keller (Mayor of the State Capital Düsseldorf). This ground-breaking project enables the direct capture of CO₂ from the air and, thanks to Greenlyte's technology, the simultaneous production of green hydrogen and its conversion into sustainable aviation fuel - all directly at the airport.

The SAF clean lab is designed to produce up to 250 tons of SAF per year. Once the plant is operational, it will contribute to the production of low-emission fuels that could significantly reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint. Commissioning is planned in the next few years.

The initiative is in line with Düsseldorf Airport's Master Plan 2045, which sets out a bold strategy for sustainability and modern operations. The €1 billion plan, presented by Managing Directors Lars Redeligx and Pradeep Alex Pinakatt, includes a series of measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. The airport's vision is a bold commitment to redefining the role of airports in promoting sustainable aviation.

Greenlyte Carbon Technologies is a global leader in carbon capture and utilization. The company has developed an innovative process that minimizes both energy consumption and capital costs, making carbon capture and conversion economically viable. The SAF real lab facility will demonstrate how DAC technology can be seamlessly integrated into hydrogen and SAF production to deliver economic and environmental benefits.

“Our goal is to make Düsseldorf Airport climate-neutral by 2035 at the latest and to actively drive forward the decarbonization of air traffic. Sustainably produced kerosene is an important building block in this process. Large-scale SAF production and innovation in manufacturing are not mutually exclusive - on the contrary, one cannot succeed without the other when it comes to achieving marketable costs. Düsseldorf Airport offers the ideal platform for Greenlyte Carbon Technologies to set up a practical SAF laboratory that combines research, development and application in one place. On the east side of the airport, at the interface with the EUREF campus, the infrastructure for a completely CO2-neutral airport and the drive energies of the future is being created. Together with our partners from science and industry, we want to help shape the transformation of the industry and take advantage of the favorable conditions of North Rhine-Westphalia as an industrial location,” explained Lars Redeligx, Managing Director of Düsseldorf Airport.

“‍The partnership with Düsseldorf Airport to develop the world's first integrated DAC-to-SAF facility demonstrates how the aviation sector can utilize advanced carbon technologies to reduce emissions and promote a more sustainable future. Greenlyte's Direct Air Capture technology removes CO₂ from the atmosphere while producing green hydrogen, making affordable green molecules accessible - a crucial step towards achieving global climate goals.Promoting such key technologies in Germany is crucial for building sustainable industries and securing global leadership in climate innovation,” says Florian Hildebrand, Managing Director of Greenlyte Carbon Technologies.