BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Ethanol is one of the feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, some companies in Japan are studying the production of ethanol from wood waste and plan to start mass production from 2027.
On June 19, 2023, the 54th Paris-Le Bourget International Air Show (Paris Air Show) opened at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a good way to combat global warming. Compared to conventional jet fuels made from petroleum, SAF can reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by seven to ninety percent. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the proportion of aviation fuel used by domestic airlines will reach 10% by 2030. At present, compared with the United States and Europe, Japan has been slow to build a sustainable aviation fuel chain, and there are also problems in terms of quantity.
In this context, some Japanese companies plan to effectively use waste wood technology and improve the domestic mechanism. Nippon Hondo Corporation plans to do this by installing saccharification, fermentation, and distillation equipment for ethanol production at its subsidiary in charge of waste**. By 2027, the company plans to produce 20 million litres of ethanol annually from construction wood waste, which will be supplied to companies that make sustainable aviation fuel.
The use of construction wood waste to produce ethanol in bulk has been reported to be rare. Ethanol made from waste wood is more expensive to produce than ethanol from plants. However, if the number of enterprises expands in the future, the competitiveness may be improved.
*:Xinhua.