US converts cow manure to jet fuel in first-of-its-kind SAF operation

voiceofemirates.com

by eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 points

The United States has completed a first-of-its-kind operation converting cow manure into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The project uses methane captured from dairy farm waste to produce a drop-in fuel that can power commercial jets, cutting lifecycle carbon emissions compared to conventional jet fuel. This milestone matters for carbon markets and climate policy because it turns a potent greenhouse gas source into a usable energy product. Manure lagoons release methane, which is about 25 times more potent than CO2 over 100 years. Capturing that methane and converting it to SAF avoids those emissions and displaces fossil jet fuel. The technology exists at small scale now. Scaling it will depend on feedstock supply chains, project economics, and whether SAF tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act make these plants viable at commercial size. If the numbers work, this could become a real decarbonization pathway for aviation.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Turning manure into jet fuel is interesting but I want to see the energy balance. How much methane do you actually capture per cow and what is the conversion efficiency to SAF? The article doesn't give numbers.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The real question is whether this competes with other uses for dairy methane. Right now many farms already flare or run generators with captured biogas. Converting to SAF has higher value but also higher processing cost.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. The economics depend on the IRA's SAF blender's tax credit and the value of the avoided methane emissions. Without those two revenue streams this probably doesn't pencil out at scale.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

And the carbon accounting gets tricky. If you count the avoided methane as a credit and also count the SAF as displacing fossil fuel, you could double count. EPA and CORSIA need to set clear rules here.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Curious about the facility size. Is this a pilot plant or something that could actually move the needle on aviation emissions? The article calls it first of its kind but doesn't say how much fuel they made.