China Announces Breakthrough for Low-Cost SAF

A scientific and technical breakthrough from China will enable cost-effective production of SAF, synthetic aviation fuel, enabling a global reduction in carbon emissions in aviation. The Chinese researchers and fuel scientists have developed a new production process that addresses the major problem to SAF adoption by airlines, high cost.

The breakthrough entails a low-cost chemical conversion method combined with modern catalyst technology. A cobalt-manganese catalyst enabled the highly efficient synthesis of jet fuel from woody biomass derive synthetic gas, which was tested in a thousand-tonne pilot test and proved successful.

High quality SAF

will soon be available from a variety of feed stocks, including used cooking oil, farm waste, biomass and industrial carbon. It is now expected that SAF can become a profitable market, with potential gross margins in excess of 50% at reasonable prices.