Two US green energy firms, LanzaTech, and its sustainable aviation fuel spin-off, LanzaJet (which is currently an independent company) are joining forces with Australia’s Wagner Sustainable Fuels and Boeing in order to invest in a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) refinery in Brisbane, Australia.
The project, which also has the backing of the government of the state of Queensland, where the plant will be located, will expand Australia’s SAF production capacity through the use of LanzaTech’s CirculAir process technology.
This production pathway uses an existing source of waste carbon, such as certain industrial processes or municipal solid waste, and converts it into ethanol. Through the Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology this ethanol is converted into a drop in fuel that can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used to propel aircraft.
This is not the only Australian project to involve LanzaJet. In February 2024, the US firm announced a partnership with local sustainable energy firm Jet Zero, Airbus and Qantas to develop another Alcohol-to-Jet SAF plant in the state of Queensland, using agricultural waste, particularly from sugar cane, as feedstock.
Australia’s largest airline Qantas has committed to using a blend of 10% SAF to power its fleet as early as 2030. This will require a significant expansion in the country’s SAF production capacity.