Key points
- CSIRO is exploring how we can add value to Australia’s exports by actually removing carbon from products, creating cleaner alternatives that the world desperately needs.
- The Syncat team is tackling one of Australia’s biggest challenges: how do we keep industries such as aviation running while dramatically cutting emissions?
- Syncat's purpose-built labs and rigs operate continuously with autonomous capability, transforming CO₂ into high-value products such as aviation e-fuel and e-diesel.
At CSIRO’s Syncat Facility in Perth, three researchers are turning greenhouse gases into fuels and products to help power our low-emissions future.
The Syncat team is tackling one of Australia’s biggest challenges: how do we keep industries such as aviation running while dramatically cutting emissions?
Mr James Kear
“We’re exploring how we can add value to Australia’s exports by actually removing carbon from products, creating cleaner alternatives that the world desperately needs,” explained James Kear, Research Group Leader and Principal Engineer.
Dr Roya Rudd
In the lab, Dr Roya Rudd brings a problem-solving mindset that’s been shaped by years of scientific curiosity and a career spanning both academia and industry. At CSIRO’s Syncat Facility, she draws on her diverse experience to bridge research and real-world application, turning challenges into opportunities for sustainable innovation.
”I’ve always been inspired by science and how it can solve real challenges around the world,” she said.
“That still drives my work today. At Syncat, we’re not just researching – we’re actively building solutions that will make a difference.”
Dr Sana Ullah
For Dr Sana Ullah, every day in the lab is childhood wonder coming to life. Starting as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow and now working as a research scientist, Sana explores green hydrogen, plasma and CO₂ hydrogenation technologies.
“The way chemical reactions transform one substance into another has been magic to me since childhood,” he said.
“Now I get to work with these substances every day to build a low-emissions future.”
The Syncat Facility
Their workplace, the Syncat Facility, is no ordinary lab.
The purpose-built labs and rigs operate continuously with autonomous capability, transforming CO₂ into high-value products such as aviation e-fuel and e-diesel.
With more than 800 input-output elements managed by advanced SCADA systems, the facility can test and investigate reaction dynamics at industrial scale over long time frames.
Chemistry with purpose, engineering with impact
The team’s work spans everything from Fischer-Tropsch processes to e-methane production, but the common thread is transformation – turning waste CO₂ into valuable resources.
“We’re working at the intersection of urgent global need and cutting-edge possibility,” James said.
“Industries need solutions now and we’re providing pathways that are both technically viable and economically sound."
As Sana put it: “We’re not just changing molecules – we’re changing how the world thinks about waste, energy and the future.”
Dr Roya Rudd explained: “At Syncat, we’re not just advancing technologies — we’re reimagining what’s possible. We’re transforming challenges into breakthroughs that help industries cut emissions and unlock a sustainable future.”
Their research represents more than purpose driven science. The team brings together diverse experiences, capabilities and science to show how Australia can lead in clean energy with value-added exports to strengthen our economic position.