Technology Agreement Will Enable Australian SAF Refinery Construction

An Australian company has signed a deal with LanzaTech and LanzaJet that is expected to lead to the installation of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) refining system in that country.

Wagner Sustainable Fuels intends to equip a refinery to be constructed in Brisbane, Australia, with the CirculAir SAF production system, which is jointly marketed by LanzaTech and LanzaJet. Boeing and the Queensland state government have also invested in the refinery project.

CirculAir uses LanzaTech’s carbon recycling technology to transform material such as industrial emissions and municipal solid waste into ethanol, and then LanzaJet’s technology converts the ethanol into drop-in SAF.

The first stage of the project is formally classed as an evaluation. However, the expectation from all the companies involved is that it will lead to the installation of the system and construction of the refinery, LanzaTech told Aviation Daily. The companies are not disclosing the price of the system.

A feasibility study is underway that is likely to take about 12 weeks, LanzaTech said. Once this is completed and approved, the project will move to the final investment decision phase, which could take up to 18 months from now to complete. After this phase, Wagner would install and license the CirculAir technology.

Wagner expects construction of the facility to begin in 2026. A ball-park estimate would be that it would take two years to build, meaning SAF production could potentially begin in 2028, LanzaTech said.

Once operational, the facility will produce 102 million liters (27 million gal.) of SAF per year, Wagner said.

“LanzaTech and LanzaJet look forward to providing a joint commercial solution to support the work of Wagner Sustainable Fuels and advance the development of a domestic Australian SAF market,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech and Board Chair of LanzaJet.

“Together, these [LanzaTech and LanzaJet] proven technologies can help us realize Australia’s first, fully integrated SAF production facility and provide a path to producing domestic fuel at scale,” said Matt Doyle, Wagner Sustainable Fuels CEO.

“This project will make a real difference in developing an Australian SAF industry, which is crucial not only to achieve Australia’s own climate goals, but also to support the global commercial aviation’s commitment of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050,” said Kimberly Camrass, Boeing’s sustainability lead for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

In a separate project, Wagner is developing a SAF blending facility at Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba, Queensland. It is expected to be operational by the end of this year. Boeing is also collaborating in this initiative.