Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Market Map 2023
Our SAF market map illustrates 100 top producers, highlights 5 key production pathways, and features 10 major producers to watch out for.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is increasingly seen as the aviation industry’s greatest hope for reducing its carbon footprint.
The significance of various SAFs lies in their capability to mitigate the environmental impact of air travel. The aviation industry contributes around 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and these numbers are set to rise with the increasing demand for air travel.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SAF can reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when compared to conventional jet fuel.
Besides the environmental benefits, SAFs have practical advantages too. They are ‘drop-in’ fuels, so they can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines without any modification.
Our comprehensive market map of the SAF industry features 100 companies across 5 transformative pathways: Fat-to-Fuel, Waste-to-Fuel, Air-to-Fuel, Crop-to-Fuel, and Sun-to-Fuel.
What are the various SAF production pathways?
Fat-to-Fuel: Focuses on the conversion of waste oils and fats into jet fuel through hydroprocessing. Key players include Neste, World Energy and Shell Aviation.
Waste-to-Fuel: Uses technologies like gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to transform municipal solid waste and agricultural residues into jet fuel. Key players include Fulcrum BioEnergy, Alder Renewables and Velocys.
Air-to-Fuel: This pathway leverages direct air capture to extract atmospheric CO2, combining it with H2 to create synthetic jet fuel. Major producers include Air Company, Twelve, and Carbon Engineering.
Crop-to-Fuel: Involves transforming non-food crops or even sugar crops into jet fuel. Key producers include Gevo, Nuseed and Agrisoma Biosciences.
Sun-to-Fuel: Also known as solar fuels, these harness concentrated solar energy to power thermochemical reactions that convert water and CO2 into synthetic gas, and ultimately, liquid fuel. Key players include Circulairity and Synhelion.
With 100 companies trailblazing the industry, our market map offers an in-depth view of the rapidly evolving sphere of sustainable air travel. Download it here.