DRAGON SAF project : Technip Energies bags FEED contract from LanzaTech

Technip Energies has bagged a contract for the front end engineering design (FEED) phase from LanzaTech UK for the DRAGON Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) project (DRAGON SAF project) in the UK.

The project, which is based on LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet (ATJ) technology, is said to become one of the first commercially sustainable aviation fuel facilities in the country.

According to a British government mandate, sustainable aviation fuel must make up 10 percent of jet fuel before 2030. The acronym DRAGON expands to Decarbonizing and Reimagining Aviation for the Goal Of Netzero.

LanzaTech’s DRAGON SAF Project was granted supplemental funding from The UK Department of Transportation’s Advanced Fuel Fund to help reduce carbon emissions from aviation fuel throughout the country.

The main facility of the sustainable aviation fuel project, which will be situated at Port Talbot, Wales, will be the only one to utilize feedstock (ethanol) that is derived from locally-sourced waste materials, which will bring sustainability to DRAGON’s eco-friendly credibility.

The DRAGON SAF project is predicted to generate an estimated 79,000 tonnes per year (KTA) of sustainable aviation fuel by utilizing LanzaJet’s proprietary ATJ technology.

Technip Energies said that its proprietary Hummingbird technology has been chosen for the ethanol-to-ethylene conversion that is the initial phase in the LanzaJet ATJ process. Once it is in production, the plant will create large amounts of low carbon intensity sustainable aviation fuel to assist the UK reach its goal of net zero at a rapid rate.

The ATJ technology will also generate 10 million liters annually of sulfur-free renewable diesel with a low-carbon intensity as a co-product.

Jennifer Holmgren — LanzaTech CEO said: “Sustainably sourced ethanol, from a variety of waste-based resources, is an ideal substrate for the production of sustainable fuels and chemical building blocks.

“The Hummingbird technology presents a carbon efficient pathway to SAF via the LanzaJet ATJ Process. Hard to abate sectors, like aviation need all available solutions to support emissions reductions and I am delighted that LanzaTech, LanzaJet and Technip Energies can play a part.”

Technip Energies bags FEED contract for the DRAGON SAF project from LanzaTech. Photo courtesy of xenostral from Pixabay.

The DRAGON SAF project follows an identical ATJ project that is currently being built in the US.

The LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels 10M GPY (38M LPY) ATJ unit, which is expected to be operational by the year-end, also incorporates the Hummingbird technology on the front end. It will become the first commercially-operated plant as well as the first ATJ unit in the world.

Bhaskar Patel — Technip Energies SVP Sustainable Fuels, Chemicals and Circularity said: “We are delighted to be participating in this next FEED phase towards developing the Project DRAGON ATJ Unit, to service the UK aviation industry.

“As a sustainable chemical process, one of the four pillars of the Energy Transition framework of Technip Energies, this first commercial application of the Hummingbird technology with LanzaTech and LanzaJet, provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the many advantages that it brings.”