Honeywell, Johnson Matthey, GIDARA Energy, and Samsung E&A form an alliance to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass and municipal waste.
SAF currently accounts for less than 1% of global jet fuel consumption, highlighting the alliance’s potential impact on supply.
The collaboration addresses waste management and aviation emissions by converting waste into a valuable resource.
Four industry giants—Honeywell, Johnson Matthey, GIDARA Energy, and Samsung E&A—are teaming up to create a full-service solution for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass and municipal solid waste, aiming to speed up production and cut costs in the burgeoning green fuel market.
Speeding to sustainability: The SAF Technology Alliance plans to leverage the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, promising to reduce the time from project feasibility to an operational facility by over 15% and lower capital expenses by up to 10%. This integrated approach aims to give customers a single, accountable partner from feedstock to finished fuel.
Power-packed partnership: Each member brings a distinct capability: GIDARA Energy offers its gasification technology for waste transformation, Johnson Matthey provides advanced catalysts for converting syngas to fuel, Honeywell contributes process technology and digital automation, while Samsung E&A lends its global expertise in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). Ken West of Honeywell emphasized that as SAF demand climbs, “the technology to expand available feedstock options becomes increasingly vital.”
Fueling the gap: With SAF currently making up less than 1% of global jet fuel consumption according to IATA, this alliance intends to significantly boost supply. Dr. Norbert Kamp of GIDARA Energy stated they are “unlocking the value of waste,” while Hong Namkoong of Samsung E&A said they are building “a resilient and scalable SAF value chain.”
The bottom line: This collaboration could be a significant step in making sustainable aviation fuel more accessible and economically viable, tackling the dual challenges of waste management and aviation emissions by turning refuse into a resource. Major logistics players are already committing to SAF, with FedEx recently purchasing 3 million gallons for its LAX operations. On the production front, LanzaJet opened the world’s first plant converting ethanol to SAF earlier this year, and to better track the burgeoning market, IATA has launched a global SAF registry.
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