Jet fuel made from wood heads toward production in Japan

A group of companies led by Nippon Paper Industries plans to produce bioethanol from wood for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Japan, which has lagged in developing alternatives to petroleum for powering planes. Investment in the project is expect to total up to tens of billions of yen (10b yen equals $78m), with production to begin in 2027. Sustainable aviation fuels, which can be made from waste cooking oil, plant matter and other materials, is said to emit 70% to 90% less carbon dioxide than standard jet fuel. The European Union is leading the way on regulations meant to drive widespread adoption of SAF by mid-century. Nippon Paper, trading house Sumitomo Corp. and others intend to form a joint venture in 2024 to manufacture and sell bioethanol. Green Earth Institute, a Japanese company that has its own fermentation technology using microorganisms, also will invest in the venture. The bioethanol will be produced at Nippon Paper's mills and sold to oil refiners that manufacture SAF. The partners target output of tens of thousands of kiloliters in 2027, enough to make about 10,000 kl of fuel. The primary raw material will be wood cut from Nippon Paper's forests. The company owns roughly 90,000 hectares of forests in Japan, second only to rival papermaker Oji Holdings. Nippon Paper plans to increase the sustainability of its supply by planting seedlings that grow 50% faster and absorb 50% more carbon dioxide than conventional trees in logging areas. From left to right, wood chips are converted into sugars, fermented and turned into ethanol. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)<br/>