Scandinavian firms team up to turn alcohol into jet fuel

Around 400,000 metric tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made using alcohol could be developed per year as part of the national government's Fossil Free Sweden scheme to decarbonise hard-to-abate industrial sectors. 

Spearheaded by COWI in partnership with Swedish Biofuels, the initiative will see three new plants constructed to handle the production of the jet fuel, with the first set to be located near Stockholm Arlanda Airport - with the potential to cover 40% of its fuel needs.

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This first plant, located in Brista roughly 34km away from the airport, will be responsible for roughly 20,000 tonnes and is being overseen and supported by the European Commission.

It is expected to begin production of Swedish Biofuel's SAF formula by 2025.

At this plant, SAF will be developed through two methods: the first will use sustainable ethanol as feedstock, while the second will see both green hydrogen and off-gases - gases that result from a chemical reaction - used to make jet fuel.

In addition, the existing systems at the plant could also be used to make green diesel and petrol, should the need arise.

The plant will generate a lot of excess heat and energy, which will be fed through to nearby Stockholm and used to power "entire districts."

"This is an extremely important project with the potential to change the whole aviation industry and its dependency on fossil fuels," says Karin Genemo, SVP, Industry at COWI.

"We have chosen not to work with projects within fossil fuels and instead use our knowledge about fuels to work with customers as Swedish Biofuels. Within three to five years, all our revenues will come from projects related to moving customers towards a sustainable direction."

She described the tech as "novel" and makes "a complete replacement of fossil aviation fuel possible."

"COWI will contribute to funding and provide its expertise in project management, planning, and construction of the plants," she added.

Swedish Biofuels developed its alcohol-to-fuel formula back in 2004 and has been certified for use in its native Sweden, Germany, the UK and US.

Chemically, SAF is very similar to traditional jet fuels, but it is often made using materials that give off relatively little carbon. Its blend, in particular, is noted for "its high energy density," the firm claims.

As its name would suggest, outside of SAF, Swedish Biofuels produced biofuels from biomass, including grain, agricultural waste, as well as wood and forestry waste. All are used in the transport industry.

It also claims its formula is "the first-ever commercial production of fully formulated, green, and sustainable aviation fuel in the world," according to its CEO Dr Angelica Hull.

"We believe it will be a total game-changer within the aviation industry because it will allow us to end the use of fossil fuels," she said.

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"The implementation of such technology is an important step towards a greener environment and achieving self-sufficiency goals. We will end our dependence on foreign fossil oil while simultaneously caring for the environment," she concluded.

No information has been given about when construction on the other plants is set to begin, although it is expected to be relatively soon.

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