Cemvita, the biosolutions provider for the energy industry, has made a “significant breakthrough” in the production of Sustainable Oil from waste carbon sources, according to a news release.
“This landmark achievement marks a pivotal step forward in the production of low-carbon intensity feedstocks for HEFA sustainable aviation fuel,” the release states. “We simply do not have enough low-carbon intensity feedstock locally in the US.”
About five billion pounds a year are imported from places as far away as Australia and China.
Cemvita’s microorganisms are rich in oil and undergo a series of processing steps to extract it. The process has produced high-yield extraction of the oil from the 4,000-liter bioreactor the company operates in Houston.
Early tests confirm that Cemvita’s Sustainable Oil is a drop-in replacement for palm oil in all its use cases.
The next step for Sustainable Oil will be the conversion into sustainable aviation fuel by partners in refining. The use of sustainable oil in SAF production targets a reduction of emissions of up to 80% over common jet fuel, with further applications in food, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals.
Such an achievement opens up new avenues for sustainable fuel feedstock production. To ensure reliability, Cemvita will continue the process with the produced Sustainable Oil undergoing extensive characterization and product testing to ensure its performance and compatibility with existing aviation infrastructure.
