Fuel Chemistry

Attack contrails and SOx at the molecular level.

Persistent contrails need two things: the right weather and the wrong soot profile. tLCAF cuts aromatics and sulfur to the precise levels where contrail formation and SOx emissions are minimized without compromising seals, pumps, or safety.

From Aromatics to Ice Crystals

Physics

Mechanism

Soot Nuclei

Persistent contrails form in ice‑super‑saturated regions of the atmosphere. Soot particles from combustion act as the nuclei for ice crystals. Higher soot number concentrations lead to denser, optically thicker contrail cirrus with stronger warming impact.

Leverage Point

Aromatics

Aromatic hydrocarbons are chemically predisposed to form soot. Standard Jet A‑1 with high aromatic content can generate soot levels above 10¹⁵ particles per kg of fuel. By reducing aromatics to 8-10%, tLCAF can cut soot particle numbers by roughly 50–70%.

Decoupling Engine Protection from Sulfur

Innovation

The Legacy Constraint

History

Road diesel has been limited to 10 ppm sulfur for more than a decade. Aviation fuels remained at hundreds to thousands of ppm because stripping sulfur risked damaging pumps and seals. The sector was effectively locked out of ultra‑low‑sulfur regimes.

DM-XTech Innovation

Solution

tLCAF uses a unique proprietary hydrocarbon species as a lubricity improver, not sulfur‑bearing compounds. This enables sulfur content of about 10-15 ppm, while achieving a Wear Scar Diameter around 350 µm (HFRR), better than baseline Jet A‑1.

"tLCAF is not just “safe enough” at low sulfur. It delivers superior lubricity, forming tribochemical films that protect engines against wear, corrosion, and deposit formation."

ASTM D1655 Compliance

Standards

Certification

Drop-In

tLCAF is formulated to meet ASTM D1655 as a standard aviation turbine fuel. It uses existing infrastructure, requires no engine modifications, and avoids special handling procedures. Operationally, it behaves like Jet A‑1, only cleaner.

Seal Integrity

Safety

Older engine seals rely on a minimum aromatic content (about 8%) for adequate swelling. tLCAF is set at 8-10% aromatics, minimizing soot and contrails while guaranteeing seal swell without blending compromises.