Biotech turns CO2 waste into palm oil-like fat for aviation fuel

LanzaTech Global, in collaboration with Fraunhofer IGB and the Mibelle Group, has developed a groundbreaking biotechnology that converts waste carbon dioxide (CO₂) into palm oil-like fats. This innovation uses a dual fermentation process involving non-GMO oil yeasts to transform CO₂ into alcohol and subsequently into fats that mimic palm oil’s functional properties. The new material is suitable for use in cosmetics and as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), offering a scalable and environmentally friendly alternative to palm oil, which is associated with deforestation, biodiversity loss, and high carbon emissions. This advancement expands LanzaTech’s existing ethanol-to-jet fuel technology by enabling the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) pathway, a widely used method in the aviation industry that currently relies on crops and waste oils with sustainability challenges. By producing synthetic oils from ethanol derived from CO₂ and green hydrogen, the technology diversifies SAF production sources, potentially reducing the aviation sector’s