Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) offers a significant opportunity for growth in the biofuel sector and a new revenue stream for farmers, but realizing that potential will depend on the establishment of favorable policies and adequate incentives, according to a report released by CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange on Oct. 25. 

The report, titled “Charting the Path Forward for SAF,” indicates the federal government’s goal of producing 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030 is within reach, but additional government and market incentives will be required to encourage expansion. Upcoming guidance for the 45Z clean fuels production credit, the outcome of the 2024 election, and other factors will all impact development of the SAF industry, CoBank said in the report. 

US scientists have developed a new method for converting high-strength organic wastewater into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The method uses methane-arrested anaerobic digestion (MAAD) technology to convert high-strength organic wastewater into volatile fatty acids, which can be upgraded to SAF. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory stated that the cost-competitive sustainable aviation fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the aviation industry by up to 70%.

According to researchers, Argonne laboratory’s life cycle and techno-economic models were used to analyze the environmental impacts and economic viability of the SAF.

Carbon-rich wastewater from breweries and dairy farms was used as a feedstock for the technology instead of conventional sources such as oil, fat, and grease. The wastewater streams are rich in organics, and treating them with traditional wastewater treatment methods is carbon-intensive.

Though lactic acids limit the production of SAF from volatile fatty acids, The Argonne MAAD technology overcame this challenge.

Neste Corp. on Oct. 24 released third quarter financial results, reporting that its renewables segment has been impacted by overcapacity and lower-than-expected voluntary demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

Heikki Malinen, president and CEO of Neste, said overcapacity in renewable fuel markets is creating pressure on margins.

Neste Corp. on Oct. 24 released third quarter financial results, reporting that its renewables segment has been impacted by overcapacity and lower-than-expected voluntary demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

With the relatively weak market for renewable products and slower-than-anticipated SAF sales, Neste’s comparable EBITDA for the third quarter was EUR 293 million, compared to EUR 1.047 billion during the same period of last year. Renewable products comparable sales margin was $341 per ton, down from $912 per ton. 

For the full year 2024, Neste expects continued market volatility. Renewable products sales volumes, however, are expected be up when compared to last year, reaching approximately 3.9 million metric tons. SAF is expected to account for 350,000 to 550,000 metric tons of that volume. The full-year average comparable sales margins for renewable products is expected to be the range of $360 to $480 per ton. 

According to the company, renewable products’ full-year sales volume is impacted by the planned maintenance shutdowns and the ramp up timeline of Martinez Renewables joint operation. Singapore’s new line is scheduled to have an eight-week maintenance shutdown in the fourth quarter, after which full capacity is expected to be reached. The Martinez facility is targeted to be able to run at 100% by the end of the year. Neste also noted it optimizes its production capacity utilization in renewable products according to the market situation. SAF sales are expected to increase towards the end of the year.

Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) as a formal member of the growing sustainability advocacy campaign focused on advancing the business aviation industry’s commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The partnership was announced at the 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas.The announcement comes one year after the advocacy initiative launched at the 2023 edition of NBAA-BACE.

Unifuel Technologies (Unifuel) announced on 22 October that it has closed a $3 million financing round for its Flexiforming technology, which the company says can reduce SAF production costs by up to 50 per cent and associated carbon emissions by up to 75 per cent.

The seed round, led by TO VC with participation from Alchemist Accelerator, Claire Technologies and World Star Aviation, will support advances in the company’s proprietary Flexiforming process and help establish lab space in Texas for SAF sample production.

Wizz Air announced Oct. 21 that it will trial operations using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in collaboration with Airbus. 

Wizz Air said this positions the airline at the forefront of compliance with the EU’s forthcoming RefuelEU aviation regulations, which are set to take effect in 2025.

As part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, the RefuelEU aviation regulation requires aviation-fuel suppliers to ensure that fuel made available at select EU airports contains a minimum share of SAF with increasing blends over time.

It will also require airlines operating in the EU to refuel with 90 percent of fuel needs from those airports.

With this project, Wizz Air is taking steps to incorporate SAF into its operations, on top of leveraging the fuel efficiency of the Airbus A321neo aircraft, testing the alignment with regulatory frameworks ahead of schedule and working to understand passengers’ awareness of SAF and surrounding policies.

On 23 October, Julius Baer has partnered with Cathay Pacific to promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel as part of the airline’s corporate sustainable aviation fuel programme.

The collaboration is part of Julius Baer’s decarbonisation efforts and climate goals, which include targets to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 and a 30% reduction in air travel by 2025 compared to 2019, as air travel accounts for a significant portion of its operational emissions, it said.In 2022, the bank introduced an internal carbon price for air travel, with the proceeds used to purchase sustainable aviation fuels from global airline partners such as Cathay Pacific, Swiss The proceeds from the introduction of an internal carbon price for air travel in 2022 will be used to purchase sustainable aviation fuel from global aviation partners such as Cathay Pacific, Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa Group.

Norwegian Air says it is using biofuels for the first time in business travel in the defence sector at Oresund Vigra Airport.

By 2028, it will use a 15 per cent blend of biofuels on more than one million business trips. The airline said it was the largest agreement of its kind in Norwegian history and likely the first under the NATO framework.

Currently, Norwegian Air has delivered one million litres of biofuel to Ålesund Airport with the help of Finnish energy group St1 and fuel supplier AFSN. By 2024, these biofuels will meet 15 per cent of the total consumption of more than 250,000 business trips in the defence sector and will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2,000 tonnes this year.

Norway has chosen to purchase short-haul biofuels from the new biorefinery at St1 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Bahia Energy group will invest around US$200 million in Buenos Aires to build the country’s first bioethanol plant and the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant, according to Argentina’s El Nacional newspaper.

The project will be carried out by its company Biosanfe, which will build an industrial complex to produce biofuels (ethanol, SAF and bio-methanol) from corn. The project is expected to create 600 construction jobs, followed by some 180 qualified jobs.