Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Power-to-X: Equipment and suppliers

Reactors, buffers and air contactors beyond the electrolyser

What this tab covers For each method, the main pieces of equipment, who makes them (by region) and what they are made of (bill of materials).

Beyond the electrolyser, the key items are the synthesis reactor and loop, the CO2 capture unit, and hydrogen storage to keep synthesis running when renewables dip.

Fischer-Tropsch power-to-liquid

Reverse water-gas shift and FT reactor11213

Converts CO2 and H2 into syngas, then into hydrocarbon chains at about 200 C and 20-30 bar.

United States Honeywell (FT CANS with bp, from Johnson Matthey)
Bill of materials
  • Catalyst: Iron or cobalt
  • Synthesis, syngas and refinery capex: About USD 1,200/kWe
Hydrogen buffer storage1

Keeps the FT reactor above its roughly 30% minimum load.

Bill of materials
  • Storage: Assumed at USD 400 per kg of capacity

Green ammonia

Electrolyser block5

Hydrogen supply in 20 MW alkaline modules.

Europe thyssenkrupp nucera
Bill of materials
  • Module: About 300 cells per 20 MW module
Air separation unit and synthesis loop110

Makes pure nitrogen, compresses gases and reacts them over iron catalyst.

United States KBR (K-GreeN) Europe Topsoe (DynAMMO), thyssenkrupp Uhde, Casale (Flexigreen), Stamicarbon (NEXTCHEM)
Bill of materials
  • Electricity: About 500 kWh per tonne NH3

E-methanol and methanol-to-jet

Methanol synthesis loop113141718

Reacts CO2 and hydrogen over copper catalyst, recycles unreacted gas and distils the crude methanol.

Europe Topsoe, Air Liquide (Lurgi PowerMethanol) United States Honeywell (former Johnson Matthey methanol technology)
Bill of materials
  • Catalyst: Copper-zinc oxide based
  • Electricity: About 1,100 kWh per tonne for compression and distillation
Methanol-to-jet unit1516

Converts methanol to olefins, then oligomerises and hydrotreats them to kerosene.

United States Honeywell UOP (eFining), ExxonMobil
Bill of materials
  • Catalysts: Zeolite catalysts for methanol conversion; hydrotreating catalyst

Direct air capture (CO2 source)

Air contactor and regenerator489

Captures CO2 from air and releases it as a pure stream.

Europe Climeworks (solid amine sorbent) United States 1PointFive / Occidental (Carbon Engineering KOH solvent process), Zero Carbon Systems (Global Thermostat amine monoliths)
Bill of materials
  • Sorbent or solvent: Amine sorbents, or potassium hydroxide solution
  • Energy: About 4-6 GJ heat per t CO2 (solid) or 6-10 GJ (liquid), plus electricity for fans

Sources

  1. The Role of E-fuels in Decarbonising Transport (revised January 2024) International Energy Agency, 2024
  2. Direct air capture of CO2: from insights into the current and emerging approaches to future opportunities (Zeeshan, Kidder, Pentzer, Getman, Gurkan), Frontiers in Sustainability 4 Frontiers, 2023
  3. thyssenkrupp nucera General Investor Presentation, May 2026 thyssenkrupp nucera, 2026
  4. Occidental Petroleum completes US$1.1 billion acquisition of Carbon Engineering Ltd. Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG), 2023
  5. Zero Carbon Systems acquires Global Thermostat Global Thermostat, 2024
  6. Status of renewable ammonia projects and technology licensors (K. Rouwenhorst), Fertilizer International 529 CRU / BCInsight, 2025
  7. Willis Sustainable Fuels selects FT CANS (Johnson Matthey and bp Fischer-Tropsch technology) Johnson Matthey, 2025
  8. Honeywell Technologies completes acquisition of Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies business Honeywell, 2026
  9. Methanol technologies (Lurgi MegaMethanol and PowerMethanol) Air Liquide Engineering and Construction, 2026
  10. Honeywell technology selected by Jiutai for world-leading methanol-to-jet fuel plant Honeywell, 2024
  11. ExxonMobil methanol to jet technology to provide new route for sustainable aviation fuel production Renewable Carbon News (ExxonMobil press release), 2022
  12. Topsoe chosen as technology licensor of the world's largest methanol facility (SynCOR Methanol; undated company page) Topsoe, 2018
  13. UK company selected to supply tech for e-methanol plant in Spain (Johnson Matthey, Reolum) Quantum Commodity Intelligence, 2025