JetBlue has signed an agreement to purchase 25 million gallons of AIR COMPANY’s AIRMADE™ sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over five years (2027–2032).
The airline says it intends to switch to using SAF for its commercial flights, with an initial goal of converting 10 percent of its total fuel usage to SAF by 2030.
Sara Bogdan, Director of Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance, JetBlue said:SAF is one of the most promising avenues for addressing aviation emissions currently available. With creative thinking backed by science, AIR COMPANY’s work to leverage captured carbon, a resource distinct from other SAF feedstocks, represents the kind of innovation that can expand SAF availability and grow the market necessary to reach our industry goals. We’re excited to build upon this partnership established by JetBlue Ventures as we continue our own path to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
What Is AIRMADE™ Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
AIR COMPANY creates alcohols and fuels from carbon dioxide (CO2) using only renewable energy with oxygen as the only byproduct.
The first step is carbon capture. AIR COMPANY obtains its CO2 from industrial plants before they are emitted into the atmosphere. It is cooled, pressurised and liquefied and then transported to AIR COMPANY’s facilities.
Next, AIR COMPANY uses electrolysis, splitting water into its constituent parts – O2 and H2. This gives AIR COMPANY the (green – meaning produced using renewable energy to perform the electrolysis) hydrogen it needs. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere, while the hydrogen goes into the carbon conversion reactor together with the CO2.
Within this reactor, which also contains a patented catalyst, a chemical reaction takes place that results in a reactor liquid composed of alcohols, alkanes and water.
Step four is distillation, which separates these components of the reactor liquid. The process works due to the components having different boiling points. The outputs are ethanol, methanol, water and paraffins. The water is fed back into the electrolyser, while the other compounds are sold or used in AIR products.
Currently available SAF offers around 80% reduction in emissions per net gallon. In comparison, AIR COMPANY’s fuel made from captured CO2 offers an additional 14% reduction.
Gregory Constantine, CEO and Co-founder of AIR COMPANY said;Our goal at AIR COMPANY is to create solutions that work with the environment, rather than against it. Our CO2-derived SAF has the ability to not only burn neutrally, but importantly leverages an infinite resource as our feedstock. We’ve partnered with JetBlue to supply the airline with 25 million gallons of our AIRMADE SAF, contributing to the complex tapestry of SAF solutions in our fight against anthropogenic climate change.
