LanzaTech, Tadweer to explore SAF potential from waste

Carbon recycling company LanzaTech have signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company Tadweer to explore waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production potential.

The two partners forecast 350,000 tonnes per annum of hard-to-recycle municipal and commercial solid waste from Abu Dhabi can be transformed into 200,000 tonnes of ethanol per year, ultimately producing 120,000 tonnes of SAF annually.

The project aims to sustainably recover solid waste to produce SAF fuel, in alignment with the global Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards.

The facility will transform solid waste streams into a synthesis gas consisting of CO, CO2 and H2 through gasification using NextChem technology. The gas stream will then transformed by LanzaTech’s microbe-powered bioreactor into CarbonSmartTM ethanol.

Subsequently, the ethanol will be converted to SAF by LanzaJet using the Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) technology.   

The ASTM-approved AtJ pathway reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% and particulate emissions by over 95% when compared to the typical Jet A-1 commercial aviation fuel.

“The waste management industry has the potential to reduce almost 1.8 gigatonnes of emitted CO2 per year, an indicator of its critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We look forward to working closely with LanzaTech on developing a waste-to-SAF solution,” said Ali Al Dhaheri, CEO, Tadweer.

“Recycling municipal solid waste, rather than letting it pile up in landfills, offers incredible potential to produce sustainable aviation fuel at scale and reduce air travel’s carbon footprint,” Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech, commented.

Earlier this year, the two companies announced a collaboration to explore business opportunities to develop a large-scale conversion plant for transforming solid municipal waste into sustainable alternative fuel.