United Airlines Ventures (UAV) has announced an investment in New York-based Dimensional Energy, the airline group’s fourth move into sustainable aviation fuel production, and its first into power-to-liquid (PtL) technology, in which carbon dioxide is transformed into SAF. United has also agreed to purchase at least 300 million gallons of SAF from Dimensional over 20 years, adding to multiple existing agreements that the airline claims add up to the biggest collective SAF commitment by any airline. The deal caps off a flurry of fresh SAF announcements across the US, from Hawaii to New York, as the air transport industry intensifies efforts to cut its carbon emissions. A project involving Delta Air Lines and Neste is now delivering SAF through fuel pipeline systems direct to New York LaGuardia. Meanwhile, there have been renewed calls from across the US aviation sector for greater government incentives to expedite and increase the availability of affordable supplies of SAF, reports Tony Harrington.

Dimensional Energy converts carbon dioxide and water into usable ingredients for the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process that can turn those elements and others into liquid fuels. While this system has been widely used to create fossil fuels, Dimensional claims it will be one of the first to produce sustainable aviation fuels from the process. Last year, the company’s activities attracted funding from climate technology investor Elemental Excelerator, through which it was introduced to United, which wants to cut emissions directly rather than through offsets.

“Sometimes you have to look to the past to solve new problems and we recognise that decarbonising air travel is going to require combining proven technologies, such as Fischer-Tropsch, with the latest advances in science and engineering,” said United Airlines Ventures President Michael Leskinen. “As we grow our portfolio of companies like Dimensional, we are creating opportunities to scale these early-stage technologies and achieve United’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, without the use of traditional carbon offsets.”

UAV has already invested in SAF producer Alder Fuels, from which United Airlines will acquire up to 1.5 billion gallons of SAF, while United itself has bought into Fulcrum Bioenergy, together with an option to buy up to 900 million gallons of SAF. As well, UAV recently invested in Cemvita Factory, a US-based synthetic biology company which is planning SAF production.

Dimensional says it can transform carbon dioxide from sources including direct emissions from industrial sites, direct air capture and biological paths including fermentation and biomass gasification, providing United with some protection from the constraints of feedstock availability affecting other biofuel pathways. Last year, in Tucson, Arizona, the company began constructing a CO2-to-fuels facility, part-powered by locally-produced renewable energy, and expects to begin operating next month.

”United’s support of sustainable aviation fuel made from captured emissions is an important step in the aviation industry’s pursuit of carbon neutrality,” said Jason Salfi, CEO and joint founder of Dimensional Energy. “We envision a world run on truly conflict-free energy that can scale to meet the global demand for hydrocarbon fuels and feedstocks.”

Meanwhile, competitor Delta Air Lines was one of four participants in a milestone project to deliver the first supplies of SAF to New York’s LaGuardia Airport using existing infrastructure. The fuel was processed in Texas by waste-to-SAF producer Neste, then transported via the Colonial and Buckeye pipeline systems to the airport to power a Delta flight. “SAF is the most effective tool we have to decarbonise our industry,” said Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Pamela Fletcher. “These efforts show how existing infrastructure can be used to transport SAF to east coast airports and drive down emissions, a critical step as we move toward a more sustainable future for air travel.”   

The fuel was loaded by Neste into the Colonial Pipeline and pumped almost 1,500 miles to New Jersey, where it was transferred into the Buckeye Pipeline which feeds LaGuardia Airport. “The US east coast is home to some of the USA’s busiest airports and the vast majority of them get their fuel from the Colonial Pipeline system and, in New York, the Buckeye Pipeline system,” added Chris Cooper, Neste’s VP of Renewable Aviation in the Americas. “What we’re doing here is showing that just around the corner is a future where passengers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, up to LaGuardia, JFK (Kennedy Airport) and EWR (Newark Airport) can board a plane flying on SAF.”

Delta and Neste have called for additional government policy settings and supply chain incentives in the US to increase production pf SAF, while driving down its cost. Announcing the LaGuardia initiative, they said: “A SAF Blender’s Tax Credit, for example, that is technology and raw material-neutral, will even the playing field between SAF and fossil jet fuel. At the state level, a Low Carbon Fuel Standard with voluntary opt-in provisions for SAF will provide a policy framework with a proven track record to incentivise SAF production and speed the development of cleaner infrastructure, supporting healthier environments for our communities.”

In Los Angeles, alongside the IX Summit of the Americas, at a roundtable event they hosted on sustainable air transport, industry body IATA and Boeing also ramped up pressure on governments to support SAF production with incentives.

”To reach the industry’s net zero goal, governmental support is critical to developing policies that efficiently accelerate the commercial production and deployment of SAF,” said Peter Cerdá, IATA’s Regional VP for the Americas.

Landon Loomis, Boeing’s VP Latin America, Caribbean and Global Policy, added: “The message from the experts at the roundtable is clear. In addition to a sector-wide partnership, it takes policy commitments, technology deployment and infrastructure efficiency improvements to achieve the industry’s commitment to reach decarbonisation by mid-century.”

Corresponding with the event, Boeing and seven airlines – Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, COPA Airlines, Delta, United and WestJet – collectively bought 100,000 gallons of SAF (379,000 litres) from World Energy to part-power flights from Los Angeles International Airport, collectively cutting their CO2 emissions by around 472,000 pounds (214.3 tonnes).

In a message to the roundtable, John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, said: “Reducing emissions from hard to decarbonise sectors like aviation is essential to tackling climate change. I am encouraged by the commitment of airlines worldwide to scale up the use of sustainable aviation fuels, which have the potential to not only significantly reduce emissions in-sector but also to provide economic opportunity.”

As part of its 2022 ecoDemonstrator programme, Boeing will fly one of its own 777-200ER aircraft using a 30/70 SAF blend for all test flights. During the next six months of flight and ground tests, Boeing will evaluate around 30 new technologies aimed at improving sustainability and safety for the aerospace industry, including a water conservation system to reduce aircraft weight and fuel, and technologies to improve operational efficiency.

Separately in Honolulu, Hawaiian Airlines announced a partnership with Par Hawaii, one of the state’s largest energy providers, to explore the viability of developing SAF in the islands from sustainable crops, while in Houston, Texas, renewable energy start-up No Carbon Air announced plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen fuel, and other green energy sources through Fischer-Tropsch conversion of landfill materials including municipal solid waste, hazardous materials, tyres, waste coal, sludges and other waste streams. The company’s CEO, Bill Smith, said the waste, once converted to synthetic gas, would be processed through an FT system capable of producing 3,000 gallons of sustainable jet fuel per day, or 1 million gallons per year.

Photo: United Airlines

United Airlines Ventures (UAV), the United Airlines subsidiary formed last year to invest in start-ups, new technologies and sustainability concepts, and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a similar business, which is part of the global energy group Occidental (Oxy), have come together to work with US biotechnology company Cemvita Factory to commercialise a new process which converts carbon dioxide and synthetic microbes into sustainable aviation fuel. UAV has also joined OLCV as an investor in Houston-based Cemvita Factory, which is developing a synthetic biology process which transforms CO2 into chemicals and fossil-free fuels, including SAF. The initiative adds to a growing list of investments by United in sustainable fuels, new propulsion systems and carbon capture and sequestration, as it seeks to decarbonise its operations without using offsets, reports Tony Harrington.

“We have been consistent in leading the airline industry with bold action when it comes to fighting climate change,” said Michael Leskinen, President of UAV. “That starts with building an ecosystem around companies like Cemvita Factory to create and commercialise new SAF technologies.”

Since 2016, when it began to use SAF regularly in its scheduled operations, United has purchased large volumes of the fuel and invested in SAF producers. Having already invested in Fulcrum BioEnergy, from which it has an option to buy up to 900 million gallons (3.4 billion litres) of SAF, the airline stepped up its activities last September by investing in Alder Fuels, along with a commitment to purchase 5 billion gallons (18.9 billion litres).

In December, United became the first airline to operate a passenger flight with one of the two engines powered by 100% SAF. With commercial flights limited to a maximum of 50% SAF, the Boeing 737 MAX-8 flight from Chicago O’Hare to Washington DC’s Reagan Airport was used to help press the case for approval of 100% SAF flights.

Through their new partnership, UAV and OLCV will fund development work by Cemvita Factory to turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons for SAF. Subject to Cemvita’s achievement of performance targets, UAV and OLCV will establish a joint venture to commercialise the process by funding projects including pilot and demonstration plants and engineering studies. They will also finance construction of, and operate, SAF plants.

The collaboration comes as global demand for SAF begins to surge, parallel with growing concerns about insufficient supply to meet requirements. “This is truly a global imperative, and this cooperation with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures reflects our dedication to building relationships across sectors, and working with companies aligned with our sustainability goals,” said Leskinen.

Richard Jackson, Oxy’s President, Operations, US Onshore Resources and Carbon Management, added: “The use of SAF is a promising approach that we believe can significantly reduce global emissions from aviation and further decarbonisation initiatives to combat climate change. We are eager to collaborate with United and Cemvita to accelerate SAF innovation to reach commercial scale.” As well as investing in the development of low carbon fuels and products, OLCV also invests in sequestration services which support carbon capture projects.

Founded in 2017, Cemvita Factory first received equity investment from OLCV in 2019, which was followed in 2021 with a plan by the two to develop a bio-ethylene pilot plant. Cemvita said it was “on a mission to create a sustainable future by transforming carbon dioxide into value-added products”, using biomimicry of natural processes to produce chemicals and polymers in sustainable ways. The company’s co-founder and CEO, Moji Karimi, commented: “We commend United Airlines for being a leader in the airline industry’s decarbonisation efforts and are proud to work once again with OLCV to provide these solutions on a broader scale.”

In addition to SAF supplies and suppliers, UAV has invested in other technologies including carbon capture, hydrogen-electric engines, electric regional airliners and urban air mobility. In 2020, United committed to invest in another Oxy division, 1PointFive, which specialises in direct air capture, carbon capture and sequestration technology, priority pathways for the airline in its quest to decarbonise.

In February last year, United announced an agreement to work with Archer Aviation to help expedite the development and production of its proposed electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, or air taxi. This was followed in July by a partnership with regional partner Mesa Airlines and Breakthrough Energy Ventures to invest in Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace, which is developing the 19-seat ES-19 electric airliner for regional operations. Subject to the plane meeting performance goals, United and Mesa have committed to acquire up to 200 of the aircraft.

United has also bet on hydrogen propulsion, investing in the hydrogen-electric engine company ZeroAvia and announcing conditional purchase orders for up 50 of its new ZA2000-RJ engines, with options for another 50, which, subject to certification, could be used by 2028 to re-engine CRJ-500 regional jets operated by United Express.

Photo: United Airlines