Against the backdrop of the global aviation industry striving for carbon neutrality, a quiet revolution in raw materials is brewing in the "fuel tanks" next to airport runways. In the past, gutter oil was the main source of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, but with the surge in demand, raw material shortages have become a tight constraint on industry development. Recently, a "marriage alliance" between biotechnology and major engineering has brought Chinese solutions to solve this problem.

New Hangyuan (Hangzhou) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and China Huanqiu Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, have officially signed an agreement to jointly develop Flexfinance ™ Ethanol based SAF commercial process package. This is not only a technical docking, but also a handshake between laboratory test tubes and million ton refining equipment, aiming to bridge the "last mile" from theory to industry of domestic alcohol based aviation fuel (AtJ).

Exploring alternative sources of raw materials

For a long time, the HEFA route (waste oil to aviation fuel) has been the mainstream of SAF production in China, but its raw material supply is limited by the collection of kitchen waste oil, making it difficult to support the huge carbon reduction demand of the aviation industry. In contrast, the AtJ route (alcohol based aviation fuel) demonstrates a completely different potential.

As a major agricultural country, China has a unique resource endowment. Data shows that the annual output of crop straw in China is about 860 million tons, and over 500 million acres of marginal land can be used for growing energy crops. These resources, which were once incinerated or discarded, can be converted into ethanol through fermentation, becoming a new source of aviation oil production. This means that in the future, aviation fuel will no longer rely solely on oil fields or kitchens, and vast farmland will also become important "energy bases".

Minimalist craftsmanship reduces costs

In this collaboration, the "killer move" that New Air Source has taken out is its independently developed Flexfinance ™ Technology. Compared with traditional craftsmanship, this technology has demonstrated strong economic viability in engineering applications.

This technology adopts a one-step method to prepare multi carbon olefins, cleverly eliminating the complex isomerization process in traditional processes and directly producing SAF that meets international standards. More practically, it has a strong tolerance for raw materials and can tolerate crude ethanol with higher water content, eliminating the expensive deep refining process. Combined with self-developed high-efficiency catalysts, not only can it be regenerated and recycled multiple times, but it also significantly reduces reaction energy consumption. This "minimalist" process makes fixed assets investment lower and the return cycle shorter, which makes it possible for large, medium and small industrial plants of different sizes.

National brand escorts landing

With good technology, it also requires strong engineering capabilities to turn it into reality. Established in 1953, China Huanqiu Engineering Corporation, formerly known as the Chemical Industry Design Institute of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, holds a comprehensive Class A qualification for engineering design and operates in nearly 30 countries and regions worldwide.keywords:Domestic new energy latest news

This cooperation is precisely based on the profound accumulation of Huanqiu Engineering in EPC full process services. Both parties will introduce the second-generation Flexfinance from New Air Source ™ The deep integration of technology and global engineering capabilities. It is worth mentioning that Xinhangyuan is still one of the few companies in the world that has fully integrated the dual technology routes of AtJ and PtL (carbon dioxide based aviation fuel) and achieved fusion. With the deepening of cooperation between both parties, not only will we break through the barriers of overseas SAF technology patents and build domestic complete solutions, but we will also simultaneously layout the domestic and foreign markets and export low-cost and highly adaptable aviation carbon neutral Chinese solutions to the world.Editor/Yang Meiling