Operation SAF has Commenced

When I was first introduced to biofuel journalism nearly 15 years ago, there was so much momentum in regard to developing fuels of the future (i.e., cellulosic ethanol). The conferences I attended, the people with whom I spoke, the pilot facilities I visited—it was a similar message: Industry is almost there...but not yet. I visited a demo plant in Pennsylvania as one of my first asassignments. It was exciting to see, but the company ultimately ran out of money and went defunct. (The technology, however, re-emerged under a new company that’s still around.) The second facility I visited several years later was of a larger scale, but was open only a few years until it, too, closed. And, another commercial plant that came online on a similar timeline, was shuttered and ultimately converted to renewable natural gas.

While the above are examples of the many who have tried and erred—and for some, may have cast a certain degree of skepticism on advanced biofuels—the entire landscape for biofuels has changed in the past several years. Globally, there finally seems to be some real urgency. Now more than ever, governments, companies, academia, scientists, the transportation sector and the public realize that the time to start decarbonizing was yesterday. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been gaining incredible momentum for the past few years, and I think unlike many years ago when the aforementioned facilities floundered, they have a whole lot more of the tools and support essential to the success of new technology and fuels. The SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap, which was released this past fall, is designed to ensure that industry and stakeholders do have the many-faceted support they need to bring U.S. SAF production to the scale it must be to reach goals set in the SAF Grand Challenge.

In January, leads for the government agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration held a webinar discussing the roadmap, how it’s set up, areas of focus, stakeholders involved, and much more. I boil things down in our page-21 feature, "Challenge Accepted."

In our other two features, “SAF in the Big Sky State,” page 10, and “Against the Odds,” page 16, you’ll find the stories of two SAF producers, Calumet's Montana Renewables and LanzaTech, detailing their paths to commercial production. While these two journeys have plenty of commonalities, they are also quite different—for example, LanzaTech has launched a greenfield facility, while Calumet has converted its refinery to renewable diesel, and now, SAF. We couldn’t be prouder to deliver the inaugural issue of SAF Magazine, and from hurdles to success, we look forward to reporting on the progress made toward decarbonizing the global aviation sector.

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Anna Simet | asimet@bbiinternational.com

ONLINE NEWS EDITOR

Erin Voegele | evoegele@bbiinternational.com

STAFF WRITER

Katie Schroeder | katie.schroeder@bbiinternational.com

DESIGN

VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION & DESIGN

Jaci Satterlund | jsatterlund@bbiinternational.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Raquel Boushee | rboushee@bbiinternational.com

PUBLISHING & SALES

CEO

Joe Bryan | jbryan@bbiinternational.com

PRESIDENT

Tom Bryan | tbryan@bbiinternational.com

VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS/MARKETING & SALES

John Nelson | jnelson@bbiinternational.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/BIOENERGY TEAM LEADER

Chip Shereck | cshereck@bbiinternational.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Bob Brown | bbrown@bbiinternational.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Jessica Tiller | jtiller@bbiinternational.com

MARKETING & ADVERTISING MANAGER

Marla DeFoe | mdefoe@bbiinternational.com

2023 Int’l Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

JUNE 12-14,

2023

CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska

From its inception, the mission of this event has remained constant: The FEW delivers timely presentations with a strong focus on commercialscale ethanol production—from quality control and yield maximization to regulatory compliance and fiscal management. The FEW is the ethanol industry’s premier forum for unveiling new technologies and research findings. The program is primarily focused on optimizing grain ethanol operations while also covering cellulosic and advanced ethanol technologies.

(866) 746-8385 | FuelEthanolWorkshop.com

2023 Biodiesel Summit: Sustainable Aviation Fuel & Renewable Diesel

June 12-14, 2023

CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska

The Biodiesel Summit: Sustainable Aviation Fuel & Renewable Diesel is a forum designed for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers to learn about cutting-edge process technologies, new techniques and equipment to optimize existing production, and efficiencies to save money while increasing throughput and fuel quality. Produced by Biodiesel Magazine, this world-class event features premium content from technology providers, equipment vendors, consultants, engineers and producers to advance discussion and foster an environment of collaboration and networking through engaging presentations, fruitful discussion and compelling exhibitions with one purpose, to further the biomass-based diesel sector beyond its current limitations.

(866) 746-8385 | BiodieselSummit.com

2023 Carbon Capture & Storage Summit

June 12, 2023

CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska

Capturing and storing carbon dioxide in underground resivoirs has the potential to become the most consequential technological deployment in the history of the broader biofuels industry. Deploying effective carbon capture and storage at biofuels plants will cement ethanol and biodiesel as the lowest carbon liquid fuels commercially available in the marketplace. The Carbon Capture & Storage Summit will offer attendees a comprehensive look at the economics of carbon capture and storage, the infrastructure required to make it possible and the financial and marketplace impacts to participating producers.

(866) 746-8385 | FuelEthanolWorkshop.com

2023 National SAF Conference & Expo

August 29-30, 2023

Minneapolis Convention Center

The National SAF Conference & Expo is designed to promote the development and adoption of practical solutions to produce SAF and decarbonize the aviation sector. Exhibitors will connect with attendees and showcase the latest technologies and services currently offered within the industry. During two days of live sessions, attendees will learn from industry experts and gain knowledge to become better informed to guide business decisions as the SAF industry continues to expand.

(866)746-8385 | NationalSAFConference.com