Alder shows benefits of combining its AGC platform with HEFA-SAF

Alder Fuels on March 21 released a high-level technical analysis of Alder SAF100, a new 100 percent sustainable replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel that the company is creating by combining hydrocarbons derived from its Alder Greencrude (AGC) platform with smaller volumes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced via a traditional hydrotreated esters and fatty acids (HEFA) process.

According to Alder Fuels, the analysis aims to share key insights and high-level analysis with members of the industry and outline the technical approaches the company is deploying to transition its products from bench-scale and pilot-scale to commercial-scale production.

Alder Fuels’ technology uses an advance pyrolysis process to convert biomass residues into refinery-ready biobased crude oil. According to the company, the ability to blend AGC-derived hydrocarbons with HEFA-SAF to unlock a 100 percent biogenic finished jet fuel creates several important benefits, including higher fuel density and volumetric energy gains; a lower freezing point, low temperature viscosity and synergistic blending; and cleaner burning fuel.

Work to evaluate the potential of the hybrid Alder SAF100 production approach was completed in partnership with Washington State University, Honeywell UOP, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, according to Alder Fuels.

“We are delighted to support Alder’s efforts to commercialize and scale Alder SAF100 production,” said Josh Heyne, director of the Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Lab, WSU. “ WSU has worked with more than a dozen Alder samples and the results are promising. In addition to de-risking the scale up process, a key goal of the prescreening phase is to highlight opportunities for producers to hit their development milestones. Producing, scaling, and qualifying new sustainable fuels requires this iterative and continuous testing approach. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Alder technical team as they accelerate their important mission.” 

“To meet the SAF Grand Challenge goal of 100 percent SAF deployed throughout the U.S. aviation sector by 2050, we will require not only high production volumes of jet fuel replacements, but also just the right mix of different molecules at scale,” said Zia Abdullah, laboratory program manager for bioenergy, NREL. “To reach these targets, NREL has been closely collaborating with Alder on the development of their proprietary AGC platform. It is very exciting to observe this dataset, which clearly shows the potential of synergistic blending of HEFA-SAF with majority AGC hydrocarbon streams to produce Alder SAF100. Unlocking 100 percent SAF is the technical foundation for decarbonizing aviation and essential for the success of the 2021 Grand Challenge. We look forward to supporting Alder as they build on this positive milestone.” 

A full copy of the technical analysis, authored by Alder Chief Technology Officer Derek Vardon and Alder Chief Project Officer Bruno Miller, is available on the company’s website.