In Japan, advanced biofuels developer Euglena Co. Ltd has recently announced that it has received notice of an amendment from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLITT) regarding the handling of alternative jet fuel for domestic aircraft. As of February 3, 2020, biojet fuel produced at the company's renewable diesel and aviation fuel demonstration plant in Yokohama is formally approved for use in Japan.
The announcement follows ASTM International approval in December 2019 for the “Catalytic Hydrothermolysis Jet” (CHJ) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production pathway after which the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLITT) opened a Request for Comments on Partial Revision of Handling of Alternative Jet Fuel (ASTM D7566 Standard) for Aircraft.
The CHJ pathway is deployed at Euglena’s demonstration facility in Yokohama. With the new ASTM D7566 standard and MLITT approval, the biojet fuel produced by Euglena’s demonstration plant is recognized as a SAF that can be used in commercial aircraft both within Japan and for international flights bringing Euglena and its partners one step closer to the first biojet test flights.
