en.Wedoany.com Reported - The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) recently approved Honeywell UOP's Methanol-to-Jet (MTJ) pathway, removing a key barrier to the large-scale production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Global SAF production currently needs to increase from approximately 40,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) in 2025 to 400,000 BPSD by 2035 to meet policy requirements. Traditional feedstocks such as vegetable oils and animal fats have limited supply, necessitating new scalable pathways. The approval of MTJ technology helps broaden feedstock options and accelerate commercial-scale production.
The MTJ process sends methanol, produced remotely or on-site, into Honeywell UOP's eFining unit, converting it into SAF or e-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) with high yield and selectivity. Compared to similar routes, this technology achieves high-yield production at lower costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 88% compared to conventional jet fuel.
A key advantage of this pathway is feedstock flexibility. Methanol can be produced from captured carbon dioxide combined with renewable hydrogen, or from biomass-based synthesis gas, expanding feedstock sources beyond traditional SAF inputs. Leveraging Honeywell UOP's decades of experience in methanol processing, this pathway is driving the market from early validation toward commercialization.
For refiners and project developers, the MTJ pathway offers broader feedstock options, improved site feasibility, and proven scalable technology, helping to shorten time-to-market and reduce execution risks.
Several companies have already initiated deployments. Verso Energy plans to build seven SAF production sites using eFining in Europe and the United States, employing standardized designs to accelerate scaling and reduce costs. China's Jilin Connell will utilize eFining, based on its existing Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) process, to develop one of the world's largest single-site MTJ facilities with an annual SAF capacity of 280,000 metric tons. Power2X will use eFining at its Rotterdam port facility—a large-scale production and storage hub for ultra-low carbon fuels—to convert renewable methanol into 250,000 metric tons of low-carbon aviation fuel annually.
The MTJ pathway supports modular, scalable plant designs that can operate independently or connect with upstream CO2-to-methanol production, offering greater flexibility across different regions. By separating feedstock production from fuel conversion, this technology enhances project economics and resilience, driving the SAF ecosystem to become more flexible and easier to scale.
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