LONDON—Norwegian recycler Wastefront A.S. expects to support the United Kingdom in its move to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by supplying waste tire-based, "cost-effective" sustainable fuel.
The company is set to start construction work on an end-of-life tire pyrolysis plant in the Port of Sunderland, U.K., later this year. The first phase of the project is expected to be fully operational by 2026, while the second phase is scheduled for operation by 2027, Wastefront said in a July 3 statement.
Once at full capacity, the $130 million (€120 million) facility will process up to 80 million waste tires per year, converting them to recovered carbon black and tire-derived oil (TDO).
Initially, the TDO will be processed by third-party refineries into road transport fuel or SAF. Then at a later stage, the TDO will be converted to SAF in "dedicated facilities," said Wastefront. The company did not offer further details on the matter.
With the move, Wastefront said it will support a recent mandate that stipulates 10 percent of all jet fuel used in flights leaving the U.K. should come from SAF by 2030. The SAF mandate, unveiled last month and pending parliamentary approval, is set to become law in January 2025.
"Working alongside our partners at the Port of Sunderland, we are on a pathway to bring ultra-low-cost sustainable aviation fuels to market," said Vianney Vales, CEO of Wastefront.
One of the primary advantages of SAF is its potential to significantly reduce lifecycle carbon emissions compared to traditional aviation fuels, as SAF produced by Wastefront is claimed to cut lifecycle carbon emissions by more than 80 percent.
According to Wastefront, demand is "already skyrocketing" for SAF feedstock, "far exceeding both present and projected supply."
Wastefront data suggests that global SAF supply currently stands at 2 million metric tons per year.
Meanwhile, demand is growing at a 45 percent compound annual growth rate with more than 40 airlines publicly committing to using around 13 million tons of SAF by 2030.
