Taking Off Soon: A New Kind of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Flying can take you a long distance, but what is the impact of each flight on the environment? 

Meet Alder Fuels, a cleantech company, with a mission to transform the airline industry and drive sustainability at a global level. 

Here are the details:

What: United and Honeywell have invested in Alder Fuels to produce first-of-its-kind technologies for existing refineries to convert to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at scale.

When: Alder Fuels' process could be implemented at existing refineries as early as 2025.

So how does this work? By converting abundant biomass, such as forest trimmings and crop waste, into sustainable low-carbon, drop-in replacement crude oil. This expands on currently used materials such as soybeans, mustard seeds and used cooking oils. 

The impact: Typically, SAF must be mixed with conventional jet fuel. When used together across the fuel lifecycle, the Alder technologies, coupled with Honeywell’s Ecofining™ process, could have the ability to produce carbon-negative fuel at spec with today’s jet fuel. This means that eventually booking your next vacation could be helping the environment. It’s a win for everyone!

Who else is involved: In addition to United and Honeywell, these efforts are supported by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Energy (DOE) and a partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 

Learn more: This podcast talks about how we power using mustard seeds for jet fuel and this podcast is about how we’re working with United to prepare for the future of flying.