LanzaTech Global, Inc., a pioneer in carbon recycling technologies, announced a major milestone as LanzaJet, Inc. has achieved full operations and fuel production at its Freedom Pines Fuels plant in Soperton, Georgia. This marks the first time a commercial-scale facility anywhere in the world has produced ethanol-to-Jet fuel, creating the only renewable jet fuel currently available that works with existing aircraft systems without relying on oils or lipids.
LanzaTech’s decision to spin off LanzaJet as a standalone company proved pivotal. By separating the businesses, LanzaJet was able to move more quickly and reach commercial-scale production sooner—giving it a strategic edge. Founded during a turbulent period for the aviation industry, LanzaJet nonetheless secured committed backers who recognized the long-term potential of ethanol-based aviation fuels, according to the press release.
The successful production run at the Georgia facility confirms that ethanol can serve as a viable, scalable feedstock for jet fuel. This opens the door to using a wide range of sustainable and domestically sourced carbon inputs—such as waste industrial gases, municipal waste, captured CO₂ blended with hydrogen, and agricultural residues—many of which are processed using LanzaTech’s own carbon conversion technology. Ethanol now functions as a central building block, linking diverse local feedstocks to rapidly growing sustainable aviation fuel markets.
The implications extend far beyond aviation. Ethanol’s versatility allows communities to convert local waste and biomass into jet fuel, diesel, and additional products. This strengthens energy independence and supports a distributed, resilient clean-fuel ecosystem for aviation, marine transport, and heavy-duty sectors. The approach enables regions across the world to tap into their own carbon resources, advancing both economic opportunity and climate goals, accordig to the press release.
“Building a first-of-its-kind commercial facility is about creating new economic value as much as it is about advancing technology,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech and Chair of LanzaJet. “Aviation fuel alone is a global market worth hundreds of billions of dollars. By demonstrating that ethanol can be reliably transformed into jet fuel and diesel at scale, we’ve positioned ourselves to capture a meaningful share of that opportunity. From the start, our goal has been to produce the best possible intermediate molecule—ethanol—and enable its upgrade into high-value fuels. We’re incredibly grateful to the early investors who trusted this vision and helped set the stage for global replication.”
LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis emphasized the significance of the achievement. “Today shows what can happen when innovation, persistence, and teamwork converge to build an entirely new industry,” he said. “For the first time in history, jet fuel has been produced from domestic ethanol at a commercial-scale facility. This milestone benefits airlines, SAF producers, farmers, industrial operators, energy companies, and communities around the world. The plant works exactly as designed, and the experience we’ve gained in engineering, constructing, and operating it places us in a unique position as we expand globally over the next decade.”
LanzaTech and LanzaJet’s leadership in sustainable aviation fuel traces back more than ten years. LanzaTech first began developing ethanol-to-jet technology in 2012 with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This early work led to pilot- and demonstration-scale successes, on-spec fuel production in 2016, ASTM certification in 2018, and the first commercial flights by Virgin Atlantic and All Nippon Airways in the following years. LanzaJet was formed in 2020 to bring the technology to market, backed initially by Mitsui, British Airways, and Shell.
Today, LanzaJet’s investor and partner group includes Airbus, All Nippon Airways, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, Groupe ADP, LanzaTech, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Mitsui & Co., MUFG, Shell, Southwest Airlines, and government partners including the U.S. Department of Energy and the UK Department for Transport. Together, they reflect how long-term innovation and determined scaling efforts can transform a bold scientific concept into a commercially viable global solution.
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