Jonathan Wood speaks at Argus Biofuels Europe Conference

NPT Chief Commercial Officer Jonathan Wood spoke at Argus Biofuels Europe Conference in London on the ethanol-to-jet (EtJ) pathway. As a panellist, he discussed how EtJ unlocks access to very material feedstock pools which can enable the scale up required to meet the needs of low carbon fuels such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

He noted the following:

“Advanced ethanol is made from waste biomass and it can secure an additional income stream for rural and farming communities. Furthermore, various kinds of waste biomass can be used making EtJ a pathway which can be deployed in all regions according to what waste biomass is most available.

“NPT, in partnership with British Airways and LanzaJet, are progressing the Speedbird project in the UK. This encompasses 4 NPT plants producing 190 mlpa of 2G ethanol, which following processing at the LanzaJet EtJ facility, generate 103 mlpa of SAF and 10 mlpa of renewable diesel. British Airways intends to offtake the SAF produced at the facility to help reduce its net carbon emission in line with its targets for 2030 and beyond.

“NPT’s REFNOVA process produces not just 2G ethanol but also biochar, which sequesters carbon and can be deployed in farming and horticulture as a soil enhancer, or used in construction. The carbon removed via the biochar means the 2G ethanol and SAF end product can potentially have a negative carbon intensity.

“Policies such as those being introduced in the UK are helping to generate the demand pull, with a linear ramp up of the SAF mandate from 2025 and higher incentives for better GHG reductions – which is after all the objective. Supply side initiatives such as the revenue support mechanism will also be key to underpin returns and provide the assurance investors need to enable the energy transition.

“In short, the 2G ethanol pathway can be scaled up now, with huge growth potential, low or even negative carbon intensity, and feedstock flexibility enabling deployment in all regions of the world, including the Global South.”