果酱视频

果酱视频 Talks with Mr. Alberto Giovanzana, Managing Director Licensing at Johnson Matthey

Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable chemistry, is driving the scale-up of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies worldwide through innovative platforms like FT CANS鈩�, co-developed with bp, and its HyCOgen鈩� technology for efficient syngas production. 果酱视频 spoke with Alberto Giovanzana about the company鈥檚 strategy to enhance SAF production from diverse feedstocks, support greenfield projects and retrofits, collaborate with partners such as Honeywell and GIDARA Energy, and expand its role in adjacent low-carbon fuels like renewable diesel, e-fuels, and hydrogen to accelerate aviation decarbonisation globally.

Complete Interview with Alberto Giovanzana

To begin, could you introduce yourself and explain Johnson Matthey鈥檚 role in scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies globally?

Alberto Giovanzana: I am Alberto Giovanzana, Managing Director Licensing at Johnson Matthey. Johnson Matthey has a two-century legacy of using advanced chemistry and process innovation to solve global challenges. Today, one of the most urgent is aviation decarbonisation. The aviation sector contributes around 2鈥�2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and without meaningful action, this proportion could grow sharply as other industries decarbonise.

We are supporting the scale-up of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies globally, with a focus on two complementary platforms: the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) CANS鈩� technology, co-developed with bp, and Johnson Matthey鈥檚 HyCOgen鈩� technology, which improves syngas production efficiency by capturing and recycling CO2. Together, these processes make SAF production more efficient, more flexible, and more scalable. Our technologies are already being deployed in large-scale projects in the US and beyond.

FT CANS鈩� technology is recognized as a breakthrough. How does it improve the Fischer-Tropsch process for SAF in terms of efficiency and scalability?

Alberto Giovanzana: Traditional FT systems have long faced challenges in terms of catalyst degradation, heat management, product purity and limited selectivity, which made smaller-scale deployment difficult. FT CANS鈩� technology was designed specifically to overcome these hurdles.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thermal management: The advanced catalyst carriers in the FT CANS technology ensure efficient heat removal during the highly exothermic FT reaction. This prevents hotspots that damage catalysts, thereby extending operational life.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Catalyst selectivity: The catalyst formulations are precisely engineered, enabling higher selectivity to long-chain hydrocarbons suitable for SAF while minimising unwanted by-products.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Scalability: The modular reactor design allows flexibility in deployment scale to maximise the use of eligible carbon feedstocks.

The result is a reliable, economically viable FT system that produces high purity synthetic crude suitable for upgrading and blending to produce ASTM-certified SAF.

With FT CANS already deployed in projects such as by USA BioEnergy and DG Fuels, what tangible benefits are project developers seeing in terms of yields, costs, and reliability?

Alberto Giovanzana : We are seeing clear, measurable benefits from real-world projects:

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 USA BioEnergy (Bon Wier, Texas): The facility plans to process around one million tonnes of responsibly sourced forest thinnings each year into 65 million gallons of transportation fuels, including SAF, while capturing over 50 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime. This demonstrates both carbon efficiency and large-scale feasibility.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 DG Fuels (Louisiana, Nebraska and Minnesota): These projects, worth billions of dollars in investment, intend to use local agricultural residues under long-term supply agreements. This illustrates how the FT CANS process can be rooted in regional feedstock ecosystems, creating supply chain resilience while also supporting rural economies.

Developers benefit from higher yields, lower costs per gallon, and strong operational reliability thanks to integration with downstream upgrading technologies which Johnson Matthey facilitates through non-exclusive partnerships with upgrading technology providers.

SAF production depends on diverse feedstocks. How does FT CANS manage variability鈥攆rom forestry residues to municipal waste鈥攚hile ensuring consistent output quality that meets ASTM standards?

Alberto Giovanzana : Aviation requires fuels that meet stringent ASTM standards. The FT CANS flowsheet achieves this by leveraging a syngas platform which decouples fuel production from feedstock, enabling the use of a wide range of eligible waste- and biomass-derived feedstocks.

FT CANS technology converts syngas into hydrocarbons. Feedstocks include forestry residues, municipal solid waste, agricultural by-products, and even captured CO2 combined with renewable hydrogen. Plants are designed around local feedstocks, with long-term agreements in place, which ensures:

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Consistent quality of SAF via syngas, regardless of input material.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Traceability and security, with less exposure to global commodity markets.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 This versatility is critical for scaling SAF globally, as it allows regions to build energy security around their own resources.

Scaling SAF is essential to meet IATA鈥檚 2050 net-zero targets. How does FT CANS enable both greenfield projects and retrofits to expand quickly and economically?

Alberto Giovanzana: IATA鈥檚 net-zero 2050 roadmap depends heavily on SAF deployment. FT CANS technology helps achieve this by being both compact and modular, allowing rapid roll-out in multiple settings:

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Greenfield projects, where entirely new facilities can be built around local biomass or waste streams.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Retrofits, where existing infrastructure such as refineries or industrial complexes can integrate FT units to produce SAF alongside other outputs.

HEFA- or HVO-based fuels are recognised to be limited by the availability of lipid feedstocks. By comparison, FT offers a more scalable pathway by tapping into a diverse range of abundant waste resources, which can be used to make syngas.

Feedstock supply and logistics remain a bottleneck. What role is Johnson Matthey playing in supporting developers to secure sustainable, cost-effective feedstock at commercial scale?

Alberto Giovanzana: Feedstock availability is one of the defining challenges of scaling SAF. Johnson Matthey is working with developers to:

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Maximise feedstock conversion potential, optimising processes to local conditions.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Integrate carbon capture and utilisation, making use of CO2 as a feedstock through HyCOgen鈩� technology.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Build partnerships, such as the SAF Technology Alliance with, GIDARA Energy, Johnson Matthey, Honeywell, and Samsung E&A, which is designed to help drive the end-to-end production of SAF from biomass and municipal waste.

As per your PR, Honeywell recently announced its intention to acquire Johnson Matthey鈥檚 Catalyst Technologies business segment, while also collaborating with JM on SAF projects like Bon Wier. How do you view this dual dynamic shaping catalyst innovation, integration, and competitive positioning in SAF markets?

Alberto Giovanzana: Honeywell鈥檚 recent announcement of its intention to acquire Johnson Matthey鈥檚 Catalyst Technologies business is completely distinct from the announcement about Johnson Matthey鈥檚 SAF customer projects. Discussions on the USA BioEnergy project were part of ordinary working discussions between Honeywell and Johnson Matthey鈥檚 Catalyst Technologies business.

SAF projects such as USA BioEnergy and DG Fuels continue to build on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between Johnson Matthey and Honeywell UOP in 2024, offering an end-to-end solution for businesses developing alternative fuels from a wide range of feedstocks including municipal solid waste, residual biomass, biogas, and CO2 (captured and renewable).

Looking beyond SAF, how does Johnson Matthey see opportunities in adjacent fuels such as renewable diesel, e-fuels, or hydrogen to complement aviation decarbonisation?

Alberto Giovanzana : Johnson Matthey sees opportunities across renewable diesel, hydrogen, and e-fuels. These can work alongside SAF to decarbonise other transport sectors, build energy resilience, and strengthen the broader net-zero ecosystem. Importantly, FT provides a platform technology capable of producing not just SAF but also renewable diesel, naphtha, and other fuels from the same feedstock base.

Finally, what are Johnson Matthey鈥檚 next strategic steps鈥攚hether through R&D, global collaborations, or scaling deployments鈥攖o reinforce its leadership in sustainable fuels?

Alberto Giovanzana: We will continue to invest in:

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 R&D to further enhance catalyst resilience and reactor performance.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Global collaborations such as the SAF Technology Alliance.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 Scaling deployments through existing partnerships and with leading developers worldwide.

鈥�听听听听听听听听听听听听 By combining our science with strategic partnerships, Johnson Matthey is committed to reinforcing its leadership in sustainable fuels and helping aviation achieve its decarbonisation goals.

果酱视频 Insights on Jet Kerosene

Jet kerosene is a traditional aviation fuel derived from petroleum, whereas Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a bio-based alternative engineered as a 鈥渄rop-in鈥� replacement. SAF can be blended with conventional kerosene and used in current aircraft and infrastructure without any modifications. The key connection between the two is that SAF serves as a partial substitute for jet kerosene, helping to lower the aviation industry鈥檚 carbon emissions by recycling atmospheric CO2 through feedstocks such as waste oils, agricultural residues, and municipal waste.

Jet kerosene spot prices in North America remained relatively muted during the second quarter of 2025, reflecting limited market momentum compared to the previous year. Despite some strength in crude oil prices, jet fuel rates stayed largely subdued due to ample refinery output, high inventory levels, and measured airline purchasing.

In June, the spot price index saw a modest month-over-month increase, driven by seasonal demand and speculative buying, although market fundamentals remained soft. Airline fuel consumption throughout the quarter stayed below prior-year levels, with usage declining in April despite rising passenger traffic, and fuel costs per gallon falling compared to March.

Supply conditions continued to support the market. Gulf Coast refiners reported stable operations without significant disruptions, while steady import flows, particularly from Nigeria鈥檚 Dangote refinery and Russia, helped maintain supply balance.

Industry attention is increasingly shifting toward Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Although availability is still limited, upcoming policy mandates and ESG compliance goals are gradually influencing procurement strategies, creating structural pressure on conventional jet fuel demand.