PtX Lab Lausitz discusses key resources for tomorrow's aviation in Brussels
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz | Toni Kretschmer
Competence centre team discusses securing critical resources for the production of sustainable aviation fuels
Under the motto ‘The raw materials behind e-kerosene: Securing critical resources for the EU’, PtX Lab Lausitz invited experts from politics, business and associations to the Belgian capital on 13 May 2025.
There, the team from the Lausitz competence centre discussed how the raw material base for electricity-based sustainable aviation fuels (eSAF) can be secured in the European Union (EU) in the long term.
Which raw materials are crucial for the various production paths and the market ramp-up of eSAF? How can existing bottlenecks be overcome? Which production path is the most promising?
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz / Steffen Rasche
Electricity-based sustainable aviation fuels are considered a key technology for the defossilisation of aviation. However, their production and market ramp-up face considerable challenges.
Exchange with political decision-makers in Brussels
The team explored these questions in depth in technical discussions with international experts who had accepted PtX Lab Lausitz's invitation to Brussels.
Impulses were provided by Isabelle Dupraz, Deputy Director of the European Initiative for Energy Security (EIES), and Alessandra Hool, Managing Director of the ESM Foundation, as well as the recently updated PtX Lab study ‘Raw Material Demand and Availability for Net-Zero Aviation’.
The analysis by the Lausitz competence centre shows that sustainable CO₂ and renewable energy sources, hydrogen and critical metals such as nickel, platinum and iridium are crucial for sustainable and scalable PtL production.
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz | Toni Kretschmer
On this basis, the attendees discussed geopolitical aspects and technological and regulatory challenges in moderated workshops led by PtX speakers Sophie Kamrad, Sepideh Rabiee Talkhouncheh and Dr Lorenzo Cremonese.
Recommendations for action for sustainable European aviation
‘Fair and equal partnerships between exporting and importing countries are the basis for stable trade relations for critical resources,’ says Dr. Lorenzo Cremonese, project manager of the PtX Lab Study on greenhouse gas-neutral aviation, summarising the results of the workshops. ‘They are the key factor for resilience in the supply of raw materials,’ adds Sophie Kamrad, referring to the geopolitical impulses that emerged from the discussions.
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz | Toni Kretschmer
The intensive exchange with representatives from politics, business and associations revealed key areas for political action:
- Prioritise recycling of metals for which a business case already exists
- Establish and maintain partnerships with raw material-producing countries
- Intensify research into rare earths and metals for eSAF production
- Establish European electrolysers and thus promote competitiveness
Contact
Dr.
Harry Lehmann
Head of PtX Lab Lausitz
+49 151 40 171 692
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more information
More information
Raw Material Demand
PtX Lab Study | 05/2025 (updated version) I Topic: Resources I 232 Pages
