Brazil Readies Ethanol for Green Jet Fuel, Rocking US Rivals
The US made a huge technological leap forward this year with the launch of the world’s first plant that makes sustainable jet fuel from ethanol — but it’s Brazilian farmers, not American ones, who’ll initially reap the benefits.
Although the LanzaJet Inc. facility in rural Georgia is able to process ethanol made from American-grown corn, it will likely run on mostly sugarcane ethanol imported from Brazil when it first ramps up to commercial production. That’s because many of the largest Brazilian mills have already been certified to make feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that meets official international and domestic standards.
Sao Martinho SA says it expects to be first to be able to supply the US’s nascent SAF market. It has received the necessary certifications — including the globally accepted Corsia standard, established by the United Nation’s governing body for aviation, plus registration with the US Environmental Protection Agency — and has started to make SAF-compliant sugarcane ethanol for export, Chief Executive Officer Fabio Venturelli said in an interview. The company will churn out between 13 million and 15 million liters this season (about 3.4 million to 4 million gallons), he said.
