Photo credit: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council recently led a delegation of government stakeholders from Indonesia and Vietnam to the MyAERO Sustainable Aviation Fuel Symposium in Putrajaya, Malaysia, to promote U.S. corn ethanol as a feedstock for alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel.
Representatives from the council's Southeast Asia and Oceania regional office attended the event, including Regional Director Caleb Wurth, Vietnam Country Representative Tran Trong Nghia and Regional Ethanol Consultants Kent Yeo and Aaron Goh. The symposium drew more than 400 participants from more than 20 countries to discuss sustainable aviation fuel development across the Asia-Pacific region.
The council highlighted alcohol-to-jet technology as a scalable pathway that can complement hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids production. While hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids are expected to remain the leading sustainable aviation fuel technology in the near term, the council said long-term growth could be limited by the availability of sustainable lipid feedstocks.
During a panel discussion on sustainable aviation fuel feedstock availability, Wurth outlined ethanol's role in expanding global sustainable aviation fuel production. He also emphasized the U.S. agricultural sector's capacity to provide a reliable and sustainable ethanol supply to meet growing international demand.
The delegation included senior government officials from Indonesia and Vietnam, providing opportunities for the council to strengthen relationships with policymakers developing national sustainable aviation fuel strategies. The meetings also supported ongoing technical discussions as part of the council's ethanol market development efforts in the region.
The council said decarbonization goals and continued growth in air travel across the Asia-Pacific region are increasing interest in sustainable aviation fuel and creating demand for scalable feedstocks.
Indonesia and Vietnam are developing sustainable aviation fuel roadmaps while evaluating technologies that can be deployed commercially. The council said continued technical engagement and collaboration are intended to keep ethanol under consideration as those policies evolve while increasing familiarity with alcohol-to-jet technology and the U.S. ethanol industry.
The council also said countries throughout the region are working to expand domestic feedstock production for sustainable aviation fuel, but ethanol imports from the United States can complement local feedstock supplies and help meet long-term demand.
Source: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, "Council’s SEA&O Ethanol Team Bring Stakeholders To MyAERO SAF Symposium"