China’s Junheng Biology gears up for SAF production

Henan-based Junheng Biology became the first firm in China to secure airworthiness approval for its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC).

“Junheng Biology is China’s first private enterprise to obtain SAF airworthiness approval issued by the CAAC,” said a CAAC official according to the state media Xinhua.

With the rapid development of the civil aviation industry, the demand for aviation fuel is growing, while the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated during combustion has impeded the decarbonization progress of the industry.

The CAAC official said the authority has taken SAF as the key focus for the medium and long-term energy saving and emission reduction, and for the realization of green development.

Junheng Biology, a private petrochemical enterprise, successfully converted kitchen waste oils into biodiesel and SAF by using its self-developed green and low-carbon biofuel technology after a five-year research and development phase.

In April 2023, an agreement for cooperation was signed between the U.S. industrial conglomerate Honeywell and China’s Tianjin Free Trade Zone to establish a flagship SAF production base in north China. The move aims to meet the growing market demand for SAF, the company said.

China is eyeing to increase its SAF usage to as much as 20,000 mt by 2025 in an effort to decarbonise aviation. Meanwhile, the government has mandated locally produced commercial planes to enable SAF usage by 2024.

China has lagged behind Europe and North America in terms of SAF projects.