February 2, 2024
Mike Pearson takes a look at the start of sustainable airplane fuel commercial production beginning in Georgia.
There are three groups eager to see this begin.
Environmentalists see the production as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from airplane travel.
Market analysts are eager to see production begin because of the increase in biomass demand that expected as the plant is expected to produce 6 million gallons of fuel a day. This is as long as the carbon intensity in the biomass meets certain guidelines needed for production.
And airlines are excited to see this happen as they have pledged to purchase millions of gallons of fuel a year over several years.
Lanza Jet is the company producing the SAF in Georgia and they are expecting to produce 9 million gallons a year of SAF and one million gallons of diesel per year.
Lanza Jet will be using the alcohol to jet method to make SAF. This means they will be taking ethanol and converting it to lower carbon jet fuel.
The goal is to reduce greenhouse emission by 70 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.
Lanza Jet will be using corn and soybeans as the main crops and certain niche crops to produce SAF.
SAF production is expected to ramp up in March.
SAF was used in a flight from Georgia to London, England in December.
Now, SAF demand looks to grow.
Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness.
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