Thermo‐Catalytic Routes and the Emerging Potential of Photo‐Enhanced Strategies for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production

ABSTRACT Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plays an important role in reducing the carbon footprint of the aviation sector and supporting the global goal of net‐zero emissions. This review presents a clear and simple overview of current technologies used for SAF production and highlights key factors that influence their performance. Among different approaches, including thermo‐catalytic (TC), photocatalytic (PC), and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) methods, the TC process has received the most attention due to its relatively advanced development and scalability. In TC systems, catalyst design is crucial. The type of metal (single or dual atom), its phase, dopants, supports, and promoters strongly affect reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, fuel selectivity, and overall conversion efficiency. However, the TC process still faces major challenges, such as high energy input requirements and low heat‐to‐fuel efficiency. These limitations restrict large‐scale industrial implementation. Another significant challenge is the direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) into long‐chain hydrocarbons (C 8 –C 16 ), which are suitable for jet fuel. The strong C═O bond in CO 2 makes its activation and transformation into carbon radicals difficult, especially for forming multiple C–C and C–H bonds required for aviation fuel production. This review focuses on key process routes, including reverse water–gas shift (RWGS)–Fischer‐Tropsch (FT), methanol‐mediated, and CO 2 electrolysis–FT pathways, with an emphasis on optimizing operating conditions, improving energy efficiency, and advancing catalyst design for continuous and scalable SAF production. It further summarizes recent developments in TC systems and highlights future research directions aimed at accelerating progress in SAF technologies.