Topsoe secures its 1st SAF project in China

The agreement was signed by Dajun Yang, the managing director of Topsoe China, front left, and Jiaming Liu, the general manager of Guangxi Hongkun Biomass, front right. (Photo: Topsoe)

Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, announced April 30 that it has signed an agreement with Guangxi Hongkun Biomass to provide its HydroFlex™ technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the company’s plant in the Qinzhou Port Area Free Trade Pilot Zone of Guangxi, China.

This agreement is Topsoe’s first SAF project in China.

Topsoe will deliver its HydroFlex™ technology for the project, which expects to process 300,000 tons of feedstock per year.

Guangxi Hongkun Biomass’s SAF production plant is expected to begin construction in May, with SAF production to begin within the first few months of 2026.

Topsoe is a global leader in renewable diesel and SAF, with one third of all operating capacity being based on Topsoe technology.

“We continue to expand our SAF technology offering across the world, and we are thrilled to secure our first agreement to supply SAF production technology to a partner in China,” said Elena Scaltritti, Topsoe’s chief commercial officer. “This agreement represents a key step in introducing an alternative to conventional jet fuel in this geography and contributes to our sustained efforts of supporting decarbonization globally. We look forward to further expand our relationship with Guangxi Hongkun Biomass to achieve their decarbonization goals.”

Jiaming Liu, the general manager of Guangxi Hongkun Biomass, added, “Topsoe has world-class capabilities in biomass and renewable fuel production, and we are deeply impressed by Topsoe’s global leading technology and market influence in this field. After comprehensive selection, we firmly believe that Topsoe is capable of providing strong support to Hongkun in the field of bioaviation fuel production. Guangxi Hongkun and Topsoe will continue to strengthen the in-depth cooperation in green methanol, green ammonia and green hydrogen business, to help achieve green, low-carbon, efficient, safe and high-quality sustainable development.”

Topsoe’s selection serves to address the rapidly growing demand for SAF.

As cited by the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Scenario, over 10 percent of fuel consumption in aviation needs to be SAF by 2030 to stay on course for net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

In 2022, the International Air Transport Association estimated global SAF production to make up only around 0.1 percent to 0.15 percent of total jet-fuel demand.

With HydroFlex™, customers can convert various fats, oils and greases into drop-in renewable jet and diesel that meet all globally accepted specifications for these fuels.

Topsoe’s HydroFlex™ can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for coprocessing or fully renewable applications.

Guangxi Free Trade Zone Hongkun Biomass Fuel Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Guangxi Hongkun Energy Group Co. Ltd., located in Guangxi province Qinzhou Petrochemical Industry Park, which is a professional large-scale biomass-energy enterprise using waste oil to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil and SAF.

The company is currently one of the largest production bases of SAF in China, with a total investment of 3.5 billion yuan (USD$483.4 million).