Ethanol-to-Jet Fuels Rising Demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel

The demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is skyrocketing, and current feedstocks may not be able to meet this growing need. Hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), a traditional SAF feedstock, has limited supplies to meet predicted demand.

Enter ethanol-to-jet (ETJ), a process that converts corn-based ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel. This method is gaining traction in the US, with four ETJ projects underway worth $1.6 billion.

According to Hillary Stevenson, VP of Energy Intelligence at Industrial Info Resources, 'In the last two years we've seen the first ETJ plant come online and other projects announced to either build new ETJ plants or add ETJ to existing ethanol plants.'

The advantages of ETJ lie in its feedstock costs, which are cheaper than HEFA. However, this method also requires an extra processing step, adding costs and potentially reducing the low-carbon gains.