Sustainability In The Air

Best of 2024: Decoding the future of sustainable aviation fuel

Dec 26, 2024

Discover how five industry leaders are revolutionizing sustainable aviation fuel. From e-fuel technology converting green hydrogen and CO2 to innovative alcohol-to-jet methods, the future looks bright. Learn about ambitious plans to produce millions of gallons of carbon-neutral fuels and reduce lifecycle emissions significantly. Hear about unique strategies focusing on agricultural waste and the importance of collaboration in this evolving market. Exciting advancements and economic challenges point towards a greener flying future!

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Quick takeaways

Modular e-fuel technologies, such as INERATEC’s, can efficiently convert green hydrogen and CO2 into sustainable aviation fuel, significantly enhancing carbon neutrality in aviation.

Innovative processes from companies like Twelve and LanzaJet showcase the potential of converting atmospheric CO2 and ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel, addressing both sustainability and scalability challenges.

Deep dives

E-fuels: Transforming Electricity into Jet Fuel

E-fuels present a promising pathway to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by converting green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into liquid hydrocarbons, which can be refined into jet fuel. This innovative process aims to address the scaling challenges seen with renewable energy technologies by utilizing a modular production approach, allowing for quick deployment at optimal sites for power-to-liquid conversion. By leveraging developments in green hydrogen production, the e-fuels industry is expected to follow a similar growth trajectory as renewable energy, with decreasing costs anticipated as production techniques mature. The integration of this technology plays a crucial role in the aviation sector's efforts to achieve net-zero emissions, highlighting the importance of developing scalable and economically viable solutions.

Intro

2min

Unlocking E-Fuels: Sustainable Aviation Fuel Innovations

12min

Strategic Growth in Sustainable Aviation Fuel

2min

Economic Complexities of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

4min

Aviation Fuel and the Shift to Sustainable Futures

2min

Advancements and Challenges in Sustainable Aviation Fuel

3min

In this special holiday episode, we explore conversations with five industry leaders developing innovative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production technologies.

INERATEC CEO Tim Boeltken explains their modular e-fuel technology that converts green hydrogen and CO2 into carbon-neutral liquid fuels. They aim to transform 1 gigawatt of renewable energy into 125 million gallons of sustainable e-fuel by early 2030s.
LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis discusses their alcohol-to-jet technology, which efficiently converts ethanol into 90% SAF and 10% renewable diesel. Their Georgia facility, LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels, is the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF production plant.
Twelve CEO Nicholas Flanders details their E-Jet® fuel technology that transforms CO2 and water into aviation fuel with up to 90% lower lifecycle emissions. Their partnership with Alaska Airlines and Microsoft aims to scale E-Jet® production.
Arcadia eFuels CEO Amy Hebert outlines their strategy to scale commercial e-fuel production without pilot plants, targeting 100 million litres annually through fully electrified facilities that could reduce CO2 emissions by 250,000 tonnes.
Nova Pangaea Technologies CEO Sarah Ellerby describes their REFNOVA® technology that converts agricultural and woody wastes into SAF precursors. Their Project Speedbird partnership with LanzaJet and British Airways has secured £9 million in UK government funding.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love all the conversations we had through the year with dozens of industry executives, technology leaders and scientists. Check out the archive here.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

How INERATEC plans to turn 1 gigawatt of power into 125 million gallons of e-fuel

LanzaJet plans to produce 1 billion gallons of SAF by 2030

How Twelve’s carbon transformation technology is making carbon-neutral fuels a reality

Are eFuels the holy grail of sustainable aviation fuels?

How Nova Pangaea Technologies plans to turn agricultural and forestry waste into SAF