Atlantic Biomass, a startup based in Maryland, USA, has announced the development of a biomass processing system that can significantly improve the production efficiency of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This dual-path system can increase the conversion rate from biomass to SAF from approximately 42% to 79%, without a significant increase in processing costs, providing a more economical solution for the large-scale manufacturing of renewable jet fuel.
The company, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Hood College, developed this dual-path system with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Small Business Technology Transfer program and the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute. The system operates two production lines in parallel: one is the conventional biomass-ethanol-SAF path, and the other is a high-purity synthesis gas feedstock stream, both sharing common infrastructure.
Through vertical integration of the pathways, the costs of intermediate processing steps are reduced, and the operational process is continuously optimized. The system is based on four core process innovations, including simultaneous ball milling and enzymatic hydrolysis, which eliminates the need for expensive thermochemical pretreatment steps; a combined fermentation process that overcomes conversion barriers while controlling costs; and a vessel diameter-to-biomass ratio design that can convert most input materials into fermentable slurry within 24 hours.
The target feedstock is perennial grasses. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's 2023 Billion-Ton Report, U.S. perennial grass resources could yield between 284 million and 535 million tons of biofuel biomass annually. Atlantic Biomass points out that, when integrated with existing ethanol and synthesis gas-based SAF facilities, this system could theoretically utilize domestic grass feedstocks to produce over 1 million barrels of Sustainable Aviation Fuel per day, which would be sufficient to meet all U.S. commercial and cargo aviation fuel demand.
The company is also developing a portable version of the system, planned for deployment in grass cultivation regions worldwide, to supply feedstock to existing SAF production facilities in Europe and Asia.
