Cemvita achieves breakthrough in SAF feedstock production

Photo: Business Wire

Cemvita announced May 7 a significant breakthrough enabling the company to produce substantial quantities of its sustainable oil from waste-carbon sources.

The company said this landmark achievement marks a pivotal step forward in the production of low carbon-intensity feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced through the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) route, representing a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

“We simply do not have enough low carbon-intensity feedstock locally in the U.S.,” said Cemvita CEO Moji Karimi. “We import about 5 billion pounds a year from places as far away as Australia and China to meet demand.”

Karimi added that Cemvita’s biotechnology is delivering on its promise of a sustainable future.

“The benefits and applications are limitless, from avoiding the environmental impact of deforestation and providing sustainable fuels to food and cosmetic applications,” Karimi said. “We’ve turned waste into a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.”

Cemvita’s optimized microorganisms are rich in oil and undergo a series of processing steps to extract it.

Through applied research and innovation in bioprocess technology, this developed process has produced high-yield extraction of the oil from the 4,000-liter (1,057-gallon) bioreactor the company operates in Houston, Texas.

Early tests confirm that Cemvita’s sustainable oil is a drop-in replacement for palm oil in all its use cases.

The next step for the novel feedstock will be conversion into SAF by partners in refining.

The use of sustainable oil in SAF production targets a reduction of emissions of up to 80 percent over common jet fuel, with further applications in food, cosmetics and specialty chemicals.

Such an achievement opens up new avenues for sustainable fuel feedstock production, Cemvita said.

To ensure reliability, Cemvita noted that it will continue extensive characterization and product testing of its oil to ensure its performance and compatibility with existing aviation infrastructure.

Founded in 2017, Cemvita has partnered with global corporations with a joint mission to “unlock an entirely new industrial category of biorenewable natural resources,” the company said.

With this recent breakthrough, Cemvita said the firm “solidifies its role at the forefront of commercializing biosolutions that enable an accelerated energy transition.”