THE PROBLEM: A long-standing challenge in aviation has been decreasing jets’ fossil fuel usage and the carbon footprint. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the industry standard for sustainable jet fuel, is costly and slow to produce. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers collaborated with the University of Maryland (UMD) to fix this problem by creating a way for bio-based ethanol to be used as an SAF. While ethanol is a sustainable gas, it is unsuitable for jet fuel and is typically converted to jet fuel by adding carbon atoms. ORNL’s technology simplifies that process into a single step to streamline the pathway to SAF. 

THE SOLUTION: The research team at ORNL removed hydrogen from the ethanol to produce a compound that simplifies how SAF is made by minimizing the required steps and making it easier to add carbon atoms. Using ethanol produced from sustainable feedstock sources enables increased production of SAF at a lower cost and reduces the industry’s carbon footprint. This process also allows a focus on domestic and renewable ethanol use. 

THE TECH TRANSFER MECHANISM: After discussing this opportunity with numerous companies — over 15 expressed licensing interest — ORNL entered into an inter-institutional agreement with UMD to lead the patenting and licensing of the invention. After exploring various licensing strategies, ORNL decided to pursue a non-exclusive licensing strategy to maximize its impact. Gevo, a leader in renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels, is the first company to secure a non-exclusive license and is collaborating with ORNL on a Department of Energy Technology Commercialization Fund Project to advance the technology to industrial-scale production. 

THE TECH TRANSFER EXCELLENCE: ORNL and the UMD researchers’ groundbreaking technology converts ethanol into SAF faster and more cheaply than existing solutions. The partnership journey was complex. After carefully considering market dynamics and potential technology impacts, ORNL strategically pivoted from exclusive to non-exclusive licensing to maximize the technology’s impact on critical needs in the aviation sector. ORNL contacted more than 65 companies, referencing a broad licensing call on Sam.gov, the U.S. government’s website for federal contract opportunities and awards. Among numerous interested companies, Gevo emerged as the perfect match. As an industry leader that advocates for low carbon-intensity agriculture, Gevo’s mission aligns seamlessly with ORNL’s technology. Gevo encourages sustainable agriculture to ensure a supply of corn feedstock that minimizes agricultural emissions and sequesters carbon in the soil. Gevo was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Climate-Smart Commodities grant program to secure a supply of low-carbon-intensity ethanol, that may be converted to SAF. They shared a vision of accelerating SAF adoption, reducing aviation’s carbon footprint and driving biofuel production innovation. 

THE OUTCOMES: The successful technology transfer effort with Gevo has yielded significant outcomes, aligning perfectly with laboratory goals, advancing the DOE’s mission, and accelerating the path to commercial SAF production. A rapid progression to a pilot is expected and underscores the efficiency of the transfer process and the technology’s potential. The technology promises to significantly reduce capital and energy costs for converting ethanol to jet fuel, which could dramatically improve the economic viability of SAF production and stimulate economic growth in the renewable energy sector. Improving SAF production would directly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector.