The project, provisionally named k-JPPW (uniform battlefield fuel), is intended to support NATO’s “Single Fuel Concept,” under which one type of fuel would be used across most military vehicles, aircraft and naval vessels in field conditions.

“Aviation fuels are strategic. They cannot be quickly replaced, cannot be stored for long, and cannot be purchased from seller. Therefore, we need our own technology to produce them from raw materials we have at home”, says the project initiator, Antoni Migdał, PhD, from the Centre for the Development of Low-Emission Technologies at the Łukasiewicz Industrial Chemistry Institute, quoted in the press release.

The initiative comes as Poland prepares for a significant expansion of military equipment. The institute noted that between 2025 and 2035, 32 F-35A and 36 FA-50PL fighters are expected to enter service.

The number of tanks and self-propelled howitzers is projected to rise from 1,250 to 2,000, corvettes from one to five, and minehunters from three to six. Based on NATO equipment operating assumptions, this would translate into demand for more than 100,000 tons of aviation and propulsion fuels annually for the Polish Armed Forces.

Civilian demand is also expected to increase due to large infrastructure investments, including the Central Communication Port scheduled to open before 2035. At the same time, the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires that from 2035 at least 20% of aviation fuel be SAF (sustainable aviation fuel).

Today, most aviation and military fuel is still derived from imported crude oil, often sourced from politically unstable or sanctioned regions.

The k-JPPW project is still in the planning phase, with the consortium led by the Łukasiewicz Industrial Chemistry Institute and involving other institutes within the Łukasiewicz Research Network specializing in fuels, chemicals and transport technologies. Initial research will begin once funding is secured.

Fuel production is planned using lignocellulosic biomass (straw and other agricultural waste), used textiles, and methanol produced from carbon dioxide and hydrogen sourced from renewable energy.

Researchers say the resulting fuel could potentially achieve a negative greenhouse gas emissions balance, meaning more carbon dioxide would be absorbed during production than emitted.

The Łukasiewicz Industrial Chemistry Institute, founded in 1916 in Lviv with participation of Professor Ignacy Mościcki, has historically produced industrial chemicals, antibiotics in the 1960s, an antileukemia drug in the 1990s, and Poland’s first genetically engineered insulin in 2000. It has been part of the Łukasiewicz Research Network for seven years.

The Łukasiewicz Research Network is a state research and development organization comprising 22 institutes and around 7,000 employees, focusing on defence and security, industrial chemistry, energy transition and the circular economy. (PAP)

PAP - Science in Poland

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