Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan said that it has signed an agreement with US-based Zen-Noh Grain to build a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply chain including access to raw materials as well as expanding its business in North America.
“The aim is to secure a variety of vegetable oil raw materials for HEFA technology and expand the SAF business in North America,” said Idemitsu in its press release. “We are also considering supplying vegetable oil raw materials to Japan.”
Idemitsu is targeting to produce 500,000 kl of SAF per annum by 2030.
The company demonstrated SAF production using ATJ technology at Chiba and HEFA technology at Tokuyama sites.
The company said that it is exploring SAF development opportunities in the United States and Japan using Zen-Noh Grain’s soybeans as raw materials for HEFA.
Moreover, it further added that it working on commercialisation of oilseed raw materials (camelina, carinata, and winter rapeseed as back crops for soybeans) in North America.
The company said it will promote domestic SAF usage by establishing SAF manufacturing technology using diversified raw materials.
“In the long term, we are considering collaborating with the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives to realize a carbon-neutral society that is diverse and environmentally friendly, including not only the SAF business but also the collection of used plastics domestically,” it added further.
