As we all know from first-hand experience and statistical weather tracking, it is getting hotter and hotter every year. CO2 emissions, a key propellant in global warming, is also heavily propelled by the aviation industry. In fact, compared to other transportation modes, aviation has the highest carbon footprint per passenger. Hence, scientists and policy-makers are looking to renewable fuel alternatives, or Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), to power the next generation of clean flying. The beauty of SAFs is that they can be sourced anywhere — from corn, wood, or steel mills — so long as the feedstock is turned into ethanol, which is a common intermediate for biofuel production.

However, the next step of turning ethanol into biofuel can be tricky. This is because the complex chemistry in making SAFs often requires a lot of energy. Think about how an ice cream maker needs energy for their freezer, except in this case it’s for a reactor making thousands of tons of fuel.

In 2019, Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory (PNNL) and LanzaTech received an FLC Excellency in Technology Transfer Award for converting ethanol to fuel in an eco-friendly and economic way. Through the unique use of catalysts, (molecules that lower the energy barrier for a chemical reaction) LanzaTech formulated a special proprietary blend of ethanol-based jet fuel. Now that six years have passed, where is this technology now?

In 2020, LanzaTech secured $25 million to spin-off a SAF-focused company, LanzaJet. Two years later, the construction of the LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels facility marked the world’s first ethanol-to-jet SAF production plant. The effect? The facility will roughly double the amount of U.S SAF production and globally facilitate the aviation industry’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050. LanzaJet has also initiated global projects in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and India. One initiative, Project Speedbird, will produce 27 million gallons of SAF annually, which on a net lifecycle basis, is expected to save CO2 emissions of about 26,000 British Airways flights.

LanzaTech CEO, Jennifer Holmgreen, recalled how SAF production was “something that people did not think was possible.” Some of the hurdles encountered were technical, like testing if the SAF could be a “drop-in fuel,” or a substitute fuel that doesn’t change pre-existing aviation infrastructure. Other challenges were regulatory, such as getting certification to use SAF for flying from the American Society of Testing and Materials.

Nevertheless, the fruit of PNNL’s and LanzaTech’s initial partnership is showing. LanzaTech/LanzaJet have won several awards and recognitions including TIME100 Most Influential Companies, MIT Technology Review’s 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, and Rising Star Company of the Year at Platts Global Energy Awards from S&P Global.

The success of SAF opens a new path to what scientists call a circular economy– a continuous cycling of resources that minimizes waste. Though its impact may not be immediate, the effects are wide-ranging: allowing us to source a flexible variety of materials and enjoy a cleaner and safer world.