Israel invests $28.2m in SAF research

The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) announced it is investing nearly $28.2m (NIS 100m) to support research in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and Intelligent Integrated Sensing and Communication (IISAC) over the next three years.

The authority said that the company plans to support the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has set an ambitious target: a 50% reduction in aviation emissions by 2050.

To meet this challenge, the country is launching an SAF consortium, bringing together five industrial companies and six academic research teams to develop bio-based aviation fuel derived from renewable sources such as used cooking oil, solid organic waste, synthetic gas, residues from the wood and paper industries, and recycled plastics.

The IIA in its press release said the goal of the consortium is to create a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to traditional jet fuel – both for the Israeli market (including local airlines and the Air Force) and as the foundation for an Israeli export industry supplying fuel additives and components to emerging global markets.

Companies, who will be part of the Israeli SAF consortium include Bazan Group Oil Refineries, Ashdod Refinery, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Gaia Biotechnologies, and Enzymotec.

The consortium will be supported by leading researchers from Ben-Gurion University, the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, and the Hebrew University.