Sustainability is about to skyrocket — Chevron and Gevo, a renewable chemicals company, are partnering to create a sustainable aviation fuel. 

On September 14th the two companies announced in a letter of intent to invest in the construction and operation of one or more new facilities outfitted to process inedible corn and produce sustainable fuel, according to Electrek.co.

This partnership is only a section of the industry-wide pledge made by major US airlines to voluntarily make 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel for their aircraft in an effort to reduce aviation emissions by 20 percent by 2030. 

“Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint,'' explains the US Department of Energy. “Depending on the feedstock and technologies used to produce it, SAF can reduce life cycle GHG emissions dramatically compared to conventional jet fuel. Some emerging SAF pathways even have a net-negative GHG footprint.”

While SAF has the potential to reduce carbon emissions from the aviation industry, three billion gallons is only a fraction of annual aviation fuel demand, a figure expected to reach a whopping 35 billion gallons a year by 2050. But developing the infrastructure now to produce sustainable aircraft fuel is a step in the right direction, and the sustainable fuel market only has room to grow from here. 

Gevo plans to produce both sustainable aviation fuel and renewable blending components for motor gasoline in an effort to lower life cycle carbon intensity. As stated in the September 14 announcement, Chevron will co-invest in one or more projects with Gevo in order to expand sustainable fuel production and research efforts and will have the right to sell around 150 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel annually in order to market to customers.

While Chevron and Gevo will be focusing on corn-based sustainable fuel, sustainable aviation fuel can currently be made from a wide list of materials, including:

• Corn grain
• Algae
• Fats, oils, and greases
• Agricultural residues
• Waste from wood mills
• Municipal solid waste streams
• Dedicated energy crops
• Forestry residues

“Growing, sourcing, and producing SAF from renewable and waste resources can create new economic opportunities in farming communities, improve the environment, and even boost aircraft performance,” The US Department of Energy writes. 

At Golden Arrow, nothing excites us more than seeing a sustainable initiative moving forward, and that’s why we prioritize developing beautiful and luxury packages that meet all of your sustainability goals from starting materials to the final product. Work with us today.