Lighting the SAFterburners: Virent, Air bp, Virgin, Gevo, Axens, ECARU, others accelerating on SAF

There are some days in the SAF story where the newsflow is so fast and promising that I am reminded of those Hollywood movies with jet aircraft in the mix where the wing commander orders the cocky yet benign pilots on a mission against desperate odds to “light the afterburners” in a bid to increase thrust and thereby to, as they unfailingly do, save the say. 

It’s been one of those days, all over the world they’ve been lighting the SAFterburners, the acceleration is impressive enough that I sneak a peek at the Biden Administrations’s 3 billion gallons by 2030 goal and somewhere in the recess of my mind I hear Liza Minelli singing “Maybe This Time”. We’ll see about that, but the pace today is Top Story material because Virent, Air bp, Virgin, Gevo, Axens,  ECARU, and Qalaa Holdings are accelerating  on SAF. Multiple angles of attack on the problems of SAF development & deployment, on almost every front — flagship projects, expanded feedstock, technical demonstration, higher blends, bigger scale — there’s movement right now.

Virgin taps Air bp, Virent for fuel, sets November 28 date for first transatlantic 100% SAF flight

First up, perhaps the most dramatic news arrives from Virgin Atlantic that the world’s first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel transatlantic flight will fly London-JFK on 28 November 2023, pending further regulatory approvals and testing, that a SAF blend of 88% HEFA and 12% aromatics completed successful ground testing on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. The lucky fuel folk? Air bp and Virent will supply the 60 tonnes of SAF required. Late last week, Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce confirm the successful Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend ground test on the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. 

In addition to the test, fuel suppliers Air bp and Virent have been announced to supply the 60 tonnes of SAF to be used in the world first, supporting consortium research, testing and the flight itself. The SAF will be produced through the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) pathway as well as synthetic aromatic kerosene (SAK) SAF at an 88% and 12% blend ratio.

Today, SAF represents less than 0.1% of jet fuel volumes and fuel standards allow for just a 50% SAF blend in commercial jet engines. The one-off Virgin Atlantic flight in November will demonstrate the potential of SAF as a 100% drop-in replacement for fossil fuel today. The Virgin Atlantic led consortium, joint funded by the Department for Transport, includes Rolls Royce, Boeing, University of Sheffield, Imperial College London and Rocky Mountain Institute. The successful bench engine test is a key milestone, however further permissions and safety approvals are required for the flight to take off in November.

Gevo inks MSA with McDermott for SAF sites

In Colorado, Gevo has entered into a Master Services Agreement with McDermott International to provide front end engineering and early planning services for Gevo’s development of multiple sustainable aviation fuel facilities in North America. The first facility, Net-Zero 1, is expected to be located near Lake Preston, South Dakota, and is planned for 65M gallons of SAF, diesel, renewable gasoline that, when consumed, is designed to have a lifecycle net-zero greenhouse gas footprint.

Net-Zero 1 also has the potential to generate 275,000 tons of high-value nutritional products annually. Electricity needed to power the plant will come from wind energy, ensuring a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to fuel production. Additionally, renewable natural gas from captured methane emissions of manure from dairy cattle and livestock may be used to meet the thermal energy needs of the plant, making the fuel production even more sustainable.

McDermott will provide engineering, execution planning and pricing for the engineering, procurement, and construction phase of Gevo’s Net-Zero 1 project. The MSA is expected to lead to a final EPC agreement with Gevo for its Net-Zero 1 project to be finalized in coordination with the timing of Gevo’s financing activities for its Net-Zero 1 project.

SAF from lignocellulosic feedstocks

From France and Egypt comes news that the Egyptian Company for Solid Waste Recycling, Qalaa Holdings, and Axens, have agreed on technical and economic studies for a project of second-generation biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. 

second-generation biofuel (advanced bioethanol) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production. The project will be carried out in two phases, the first of which will be the production of advanced bioethanol while the second will be the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The project’s studies will take about seven months, noting that the company aims to export its production of second-generation biofuel, in line with Egypt’s strategy to maximize the use of various waste types and contribute to sustainability and waste recycling, thereby fostering economic growth. 

As background, Qalaa Holdings is a leader in energy and infrastructure investments in accordance with Egypt’s strategy to develop renewable/low carbon fuels and contribute to achieving sustainability and recycling various wastes, in order to achieve economic growth. Meanwhile, ECARU is already producing a number of products from agricultural waste, such as high-quality organic fertilizers and alternative solid fuel for cement factories. Axens is the widely-known French licensor which is providing its advanced bioethanol (Futurol) technology and then a further conversion into SAF via Jetanol tech.

The Bottom Line

As Virgin notes, SAF adoption is in its infancy, in part because of tight supplies; capacity is being built rapidly now, as projects like Gevo’s move from discussion stage to engineering. The inflection point will be later in the decade, and making that happen requires advances like Gevo’s. So, good. Meanwhile, when SAF reaches sufficient economies of scale, 100 percent SAF flights will have to become routing for th the airline industry, especially for long-haul, and for the return flights as well as outbound. That’s why the news from Virgin and Axens is also so key.

Suming it up, the SAFterburners are being lit.

Reaction from the stakeholders

Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, commented: “The 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel transatlantic flight will be a historic moment in aviation’s roadmap to decarbonisation. Alongside fleet transformation, SAF is the most readily available way for our industry to decarbonise, but currently there’s not enough supply and without it and the radical collaboration required to produce it, we can’t meet our 2030 targets. We need UK government support to create a UK SAF industry to allow for every single flight out of the UK to operate with 100% SAF – if we make it, we can fly it.”

Rob Watson, President – Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said: “We are incredibly proud that our Trent 1000 engines will power the first ever flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel across the Atlantic. Confirming that we have successfully completed the ground test of the Trent 1000 engine today, using the chosen 100% SAF blend, gives us increased confidence for the engine’s performance and operation ahead of the flight this November. The flight will represent an incredible milestone for the entire aviation industry in its journey towards net zero carbon emissions.”

Aviation Minister, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, commented: “A year on from the launch of our Jet Zero Strategy, I’m delighted that Virgin Atlantic has confirmed the first ever transatlantic flight powered solely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel will take off this winter. Thanks to government funding, this flight will be a huge step towards net zero and showcase the potential of SAF – creating jobs and helping to grow our economy.”

Andreea Moyes, Global Head of Sustainability, Air bp, said: “We are thrilled to be supplying Sustainable Aviation Fuel for the world’s first 100% SAF transatlantic flight. SAF is currently the most viable option to help us meet the industry’s net zero ambition and in the short and medium term it will be the only option for long-haul flights. Moving our industry and policy towards the use of 100% SAF is important as we work in collaboration with key stakeholders to help decarbonize aviation.”

Dave Kettner, President & General Counsel, Virent said: “With Virent’s plant-based Synthesized Aromatic Kerosene (SAK) providing essential fuel components, this test showed that 100% drop-in renewable fuel is cleaner burning and will work seamlessly in today’s commercial airline engines. We’re honored to collaborate with Virgin Atlantic, Rolls-Royce and Air bp as these forward-looking companies lead the way in sustainable aviation. Virent shares their commitment to finding sustainable ways to fly, and we’re excited about the pivotal role our BioForm® SAK plays in making that goal a reality.”

Sheila Remes, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability, Boeing said: “Boeing is proud to provide technical expertise and support for this testing as we gear-up for Virgin Atlantic’s flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner to make the first 100% SAF transatlantic flight. We look forward to continuing to work with our project partners on this journey, taking one more step towards a sustainable future of flight.”

“Gevo’s Net-Zero Plant Design with its focus on carbohydrates as feedstock, has been carefully chosen for its exceptional cost-effectiveness, reliability, and scalability to meet the surging demand for sustainable aviation fuel and renewable hydrocarbons. This MSA is the first step towards adding McDermott as a project EPC partner. In addition to Axens, Praj, and Fluid Quip, adding McDermott to our team, fortifies further our capabilities in project execution and modularization, especially when teamed with Praj. In an increasingly challenging project environment over the past years, this collaboration is designed to ensure we stay on track, manage costs, execute our NZ-1 project, and be capable of executing additional NZ projects,” stated Dr. Chris Ryan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Gevo.

“Gevo is a premier provider in the fast-growing sustainable aviation fuel market. This agreement marks the commencement of a collaborative relationship through which we will support Gevo’s low-cost delivery and speed-to-market goals for its novel alcohol-to-jet process design which incorporates Axens ethanol-to-jet process,” said Vaseem Khan, Senior Vice President of McDermott. “We believe we have the experience and expertise to deliver a standardized, modularized, and repeatable design for this and Gevo’s future Net-Zero projects.”

Dr. Ahmed Heikal, Chairman and Founder of Qalaa Holdings, said: “We are so proud to launch this cooperation with Axens for the production of second-generation biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass to promote global environmental sustainability, within the framework of our commitment to establishing high  value-added export-oriented projects”. Heikal added, “Qalaa is significantly increasing its investments in Egypt through the companies in which it invests by implementing high-value-added export-oriented projects. The timing now is ripe for such projects”. 

Dr. Hesham Sherif, Chairman and Managing Director of ECARU, commented: “ECARU is looking forward to starting the financial and technical study of the project, and actual production within three years, over two phases. The first phase shall involve the production of advanced bioethanol, while the second phase shall concern the production of sustainable aviation fuel. Such production is export-orientated to meet the growing needs of the global market.” 

Jean Sentenac, President and Chief Executive Officer of Axens, said: “We are thrilled to support Qalaa Holdings and ECARU in their effort toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to what will be the first advanced bioethanol and SAF project in Egypt. I am proud that Futurol and Jetanol will be the technological key stone of this project.”