Japan Airlines invests in biorefinery to produce cellulosic ethanol, SAF
- Japan Airlines
- Oct 10
- 2 min read
Japan Airlines announced Oct. 8 that it has invested in Morisora Bio Refinery LLC to advance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from domestically sourced ethanol made from woody biomass.
Morisora Bio Refinery is a joint venture established in July by three companies: Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo and Green Earth Institute.
As part of the “Project Morisora,” the joint venture seeks to commercialize the production and sale of bioethanol and biochemical products derived from woody biomass feedstock.
A demonstration plant will be constructed within Nippon Paper’s Iwanuma mill in Miyagi Prefecture using sustainable forest resources such as wood-processing residues from the Tohoku region.
Utilizing GEI’s low-carbon, low-cost bioethanol production technology, the plant aims to produce over 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of bioethanol annually starting in 2027.
Japan Airlines has promoted the adoption of biofuels for over 10 years and has participated in Project Morisora since March.
This investment, as an airline company and SAF user, supports the establishment of a purely domestic SAF business on wood sourced within Japan.
On Oct. 3, a groundbreaking ceremony called “Jichin-sai” was held at the demonstration-plant site within Nippon Paper’s Iwanuma mill.
The plant is scheduled for completion in the 2026 fiscal year, with plans to operate a commercial facility capable of producing tens of millions of liters of bioethanol and biochemical products annually by 2030.
Japan Airlines said it and Morisora Bio Refinery will continue efforts to scale up mass production and promote purely domestic SAF derived from domestically sourced wood through Project Morisora, contributing to decarbonization, regional revitalization and sustainability.
