LanzaJet awards engineering, procurement, and construction contracts to Zeton and Burns & McDonnell

LanzaJet takes a major step in further enabling the decarbonization of the aviation sector with the fabrication and construction of its first Alcohol-to-Jet biorefinery with awarding the engineering, procurement, and construction contracts to Zeton and Burns & McDonnell

  • Leading sustainable fuels and technology company, LanzaJet, partners with Zeton and Burns & McDonnell to build its Alcohol-to-Jet biorefinery with start-up by end of 2022.
  • Zeton, a global leader in modular plants for over 35 years, is designing and building LanzaJet’s 10 million gallon per year biorefinery in Soperton, GA, USA – Freedom Pines Fuels.
  • Burns & McDonnell, 122-year engineering and construction firm, selected to design and adapt utilities and infrastructure to support innovative LanzaJet sustainable fuels technology.
  • The fixed-price contract with Zeton guarantees plant cost, schedule, and functional performance.

CHICAGO, IL, April 13, 2021 – The aviation industry is working aggressively to reduce carbon emissions, with the ambition to reach net-zero by 2050 with a focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the key near- and long-term technology to achieve decarbonization. Gaining access to sustainable aviation fuel is critical to helping the aviation industry reduce the emissions from airplanes and the traditional fossil fuels used to power them.

To enable the aviation industry in its decarbonization efforts, LanzaJet, Inc., a leading sustainable fuels technology company and sustainable fuels producer, announced today that it has awarded a fixed-price engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) contract to Zeton for the fabrication and construction of the first Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) facility of its kind in Soperton, Georgia. LanzaJet is deploying a scalable modular construction approach whereby Zeton will construct the majority of the modules along with a smaller number that will be built by Chemical Design, Inc. This modular approach enables LanzaJet to manage fabrication and construction in a controlled environment, closely monitor quality and performance, and conduct testing and many aspects of commissioning before final placement in Georgia. LanzaJet also announced that it has contracted with Burns & McDonnell to provide the engineering design for the utilities and infrastructure at the site.

Fabrication of the modules is already underway, and construction at the site along with existing utility integration will begin this summer, with the plant starting up in 2022 and beginning to produce 10 million gallons per year of sustainable fuels. LanzaJet’s technology is uniquely able to produce up to 90% of its fuels as SAF, with the remaining 10% as renewable diesel. The SAF will be blended with conventional fossil jet fuel and be supplied to airports through existing supply routes. The technology can flex to produce more diesel and less SAF, as desiredLanzaJet’s SAF is approved to be blended up to 50% with fossil jet fuel, the maximum allowed by ASTM, and when blended, is a drop-in fuel that requires no modifications to engines, aircraft, and infrastructure. Additionally, LanzaJet’s SAF can deliver more than a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis, compared to conventional fossil jet fuel. The versatility in ethanol, and a focus on low-carbon, waste-based, and non-food /non-feed sources, along with ethanol’s global availability, make LanzaJet’s technology a relevant and enduring solution for SAF.

LanzaJet was launched in June 2020 following nearly a decade of technology development and commercial scale-up through a partnership by LanzaJet’s founder, LanzaTech, with the U.S Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).  The LanzaJet process can use any source of sustainable ethanol for jet fuel production, including, but not limited to, ethanol made from recycled pollution, the core application of LanzaTech’s carbon recycling platform. Last week, LanzaJet announced that Shell joined founding investors in LanzaJet, including LanzaTech, Suncor Energy Inc., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and more recently, British Airways as well as participation from All Nippon Airways. Additionally, the Freedom Pines Fuels project is supported in part by funding awarded to LanzaTech by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO, said:

“The aviation industry needs access to sustainable aviation fuel. This project could not come at a more critical time as we work together with our investors to help decarbonize the aviation industry by showing how quickly we can develop, scale and commercialize technology to decarbonize the sector. Zeton is recognized globally for its engineering excellence and modular construction, while Burns & McDonnell brings world-class engineering services to design the infrastructure to support the plant. Working with these outstanding firms will help us accelerate the project in an efficient manner, allowing LanzaJet to scale the production of SAF and help address the aviation sector's urgent need to decarbonize with near-term solutions.”

Bob Reymond, President and General Manager of the oil, gas & chemical group at Burns & McDonnell, said:

“We’re thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to support LanzaJet in the development of this important renewable aviation fuel technology that will improve the quality of life for people around the globe. This project exemplifies one of our guiding principles at Burns & McDonnell: ‘What We Do Matters.’”

Dr. Leisl Dukhedin-Lalla, Zeton President & CEO, said:

“Following successful completion of Basic and Detailed Engineering in close collaboration with the LanzaTech team between October 2018 and December 2020, Zeton is proud to have been selected by LanzaJet to also lead fabrication of the plant. This is already underway, having begun in the first quarter of 2021, and we are on schedule for phased module delivery to be completed by end of 2022. This project represents a milestone for our company and working with the LanzaTech team has been great; their energy and commitment to their technology, and this project, is boundless. We are excited to be part of their journey.”


All Nippon Airways Boeing

LanzaJet Welcomes New Investor Shell

Shell Invests in LanzaJet to Further Accelerate the Global Commercialization of LanzaJet’s Leading Alcohol-to-Jet Technology to Address the Aviation Sector’s Urgent Need to Decarbonise

  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is fundamental to aviation’s progress towards net-zero emissions, and looking forward, LanzaJet’s technology provides a ready, scalable, and unique solution that focuses on SAF production today and for tomorrow.
  • Shell’s investment further enables LanzaJet’s global growth and aligns with Shell’s strategy to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society, providing customers with more and cleaner energy solutions.
  • Shell joins other LanzaJet investors including LanzaTech, Suncor Energy Inc., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and British Airways, along with participation in LanzaJet by All Nippon Airways (ANA).

CHICAGO, April 6, 2021 – Our world is at an inflection point - one that requires action today, solutions that work, and meaningful progress toward decarbonizing industries and our society. LanzaJet, Inc., a leading sustainable fuels technology company and sustainable fuels producer, announced today that Shell joins as an investor in the company to advance LanzaJet’s global growth, accelerate commercialization of its technology, and scale the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Shell joins founding investors in LanzaJet, including LanzaTech, Suncor Energy Inc., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and more recently, British Airways, as well as participation from All Nippon Airways. In addition to its initial investment in LanzaJet and similar to the phased investment approach used with all of the LanzaJet investors, Shell will have the opportunity to make further investments in the construction of larger-scale production facilities over the coming years. This innovative phased investment approach significantly accelerates commercial deployment at a time when reducing emissions, especially of aviation, is increasingly important and demonstrates a joint commitment to creating a resilient, low carbon future. With the right policies to support the uptake and production of SAF, aviation can achieve net-zero emissions.

The investment comes as LanzaJet continues its work to build the first Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) facility of its’ kind globally, a commercial-scale plant (10 million gallons per year capacity) in Soperton, Georgia, USA. Freedom Pines Fuels, as its called, continues on schedule with operations beginning in 2022. LanzaJet was launched in June 2020 following nearly a decade of technology development and commercial scale-up through a partnership by LanzaJet’s founder, LanzaTech, with the U.S Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).  The LanzaJet process can use any source of sustainable ethanol for jet fuel production, including, but not limited to, ethanol made from recycled pollution, the core application of LanzaTech’s carbon recycling platform.

LanzaJet’s technology is uniquely able to produce up to 90% of its fuels as SAF, with the remaining 10% as renewable diesel. The SAF will be blended with conventional fossil jet fuel and be supplied to airports through the existing supply routes. The technology can flex to produce more diesel and less SAF, as desiredLanzaJet’s SAF is approved to be blended up to 50% with fossil jet fuel, the maximum allowed by ASTM, and is a drop-in fuel that requires no modifications to engines, aircraft, and infrastructure. Additionally, LanzaJet’s SAF delivers more than a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis, compared to conventional fossil jet fuel. The versatility in ethanol, and a focus on low-carbon, waste-based, and non-food /non-feed sources, along with ethanol’s global availability, make LanzaJet’s technology a relevant and enduring solution for SAF.

Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation, said:

"LanzaJet's technology opens up a new and exciting pathway to produce SAF using an AtJ process and will help address the aviation sector's urgent need for SAF. It demonstrates that the industry can move faster and deliver more when we all work together. Provided industry, government and society collaborate on appropriate policy mechanisms and regulations to drive both supply and demand, aviation can achieve net-zero carbon emissions. The strategic fit with LanzaJet is exciting. Through our Raízen joint venture in Brazil, we have been producing bioethanol for over ten years, and we have already demonstrated production of cellulosic ethanol from waste materials. Our access to feedstocks, experience of optimizing supply chains and extensive sales and marketing business will hopefully contribute to LanzaJet creating sustainable, robust and scalable commercial operations, supporting our customers’ decarbonisation ambitions for many years to come.”

Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO, said:

"We’ve been at a crossroads for years and we’re now at a point in time when real solutions matter to address the global need to get to net zero. At LanzaJet, we’re in a unique position with technology that is ready and scaling today to produce lower-carbon, sustainable fuels. Shell’s investment and partnership helps to further advance our work to do our part to decarbonize aviation globally, a sector with limited other options in the near- and mid-term.”

Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaJet Board Chair and LanzaTech CEO, said:

"We have an outstanding group of investors, leading in the energy transition and working across industries to reduce carbon emissions. I am delighted to welcome Shell to the LanzaJet family as we work together to realize our ambition of producing significant volumes of SAF from wastes to help the aviation sector meet their carbon reduction goals.”