United Airlines, Tallgrass and Green Plains to develop and commercialize SAF technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

United Airlines, Tallgrass and Green Plains have announced a new joint venture (Blue Blade Energy) to develop and then commercialize a novel SAF technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock. If the technology is successful, Blue Blade is expected to proceed with the construction of a pilot facility in 2024, followed by a full-scale facility that could begin commercial operations by 2028.

Figure 1. United Airlines, Tallgrass and Green Plains to develop and commercialize SAF technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock (taken from the press release)

Blue Blade's new SAF technology was developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a leading center for technological innovation in sustainable energy. SAF, which uses non-petroleum feedstock, is a low-carbon alternative to traditional jet fuel that offers up to 85% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. Once operational, Blue Blade Energy has the potential to create United's largest source of SAF providing up to 135 million gallons of fuel annually.

Under this collaborative approach:
- Tallgrass will manage research and development of the technology, including pilot plant development, and will manage the construction of the production facility.
- Green Plains will supply the low-carbon ethanol feedstock, and use its ethanol industry expertise to manage operations once the pilot facility is constructed.
- United Airlines will assist with SAF development, fuel certification and into-wing logistics, and has also agreed to purchase up to 2.7 billion gallons of SAF produced from the joint venture.

If the technology is commercialized, the location of Blue Blade's initial plant would allow easy access to low-carbon feedstock from Green Plains' Midwest ethanol production facilities. While the initial SAF facility intends to use ethanol, the technology has the capability to work with any alcohol-based feedstock as its fuel source.

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