China's Henan Junheng Converts Waste Cooking Oil into Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Industrial Scale
Why It MattersScaling waste-oil SAF production in China could expand global feedstock supply for aviation decarbonization without requiring aircraft engine modifications.
Henan Junheng Industrial Group Biotechnology Co., Ltd., based in Henan Province in central China, is producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from waste cooking oil at industrial scale, using a multi-stage conversion process that transforms used cooking oil into bio-jet fuel chemically identical to conventional aviation kerosene.
At the facility, waste oils first undergo multiple pretreatment steps to reduce levels of metal, phosphorus, chlorine, nitrogen, and other impurities, yielding purified, industrial-grade mixed oil. The oil then enters a hydrodeoxygenation reactor, where a proprietary catalyst breaks down and reassembles oil molecules to produce bio-jet fuel that is fully compatible with existing aircraft engines and requires no engine modifications.
Du Zhisheng, a researcher in the company's technical department, said the team developed a catalyst system resistant to both acid and water, describing it as acting "like a 'gluttonous snake'" that devours metals in the oil while converting it into aviation fuel. The company said bio-based aviation fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 80 percent over its entire life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
