Iowa corn farmers and ethanol producers celebrated the start of production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) this week at LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels but a new study shows the state needs carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to reap benefits from increased use of ethanol-to-jet SAF.
Currently, no Iowa ethanol plant has a carbon intensity score low enough to qualify as a SAF feedstock and only one plant in the entire country is using CCS to produce SAF-friendly ethanol. By contrast, Brazil produces over 7 billion gallons of ethanol with a carbon score expected to qualify for SAF production.
A new study by Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) has found that fully maximizing the potential of the SAF production in Iowa will have a generation impact.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) held a press call on the day LanzaJet held its grand opening to introduce the study.
Iowa SAF Study press call 29:00