Johnson Matthey, a global leader in sustainable chemistry, is advancing the scale-up of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technologies worldwide through its innovative solutions, including the FT CANS™ platform (co-developed with bp) and HyCOgen™ technology for efficient syngas generation. In a discussion with ChemAnalyst, the company highlighted its strategy to boost SAF production from a wide range of feedstocks, support both greenfield developments and retrofit projects, and strengthen collaborations with partners such as Honeywell and GIDARA Energy. Beyond SAF, Johnson Matthey is also expanding its footprint in adjacent low-carbon fuels—such as renewable diesel, e-fuels, and hydrogen—aiming to accelerate the global decarbonisation of aviation.
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™, co-developed with bp, and its HyCOgen™ technology for efficient syngas production. ChemAnalyst spoke with Alberto Giovanzana about the company’s 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’s 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 2–2.5% 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™ technology, co-developed with bp, and Johnson Matthey’s HyCOgen™ 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™ 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™ technology was designed specifically to overcome these hurdles.
• 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.
• Catalyst selectivity: The catalyst formulations are precisely engineered, enabling higher selectivity to long-chain hydrocarbons suitable for SAF while minimising unwanted by-products.
• 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:
• 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.
• 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—from forestry residues to municipal waste—while 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:
• Consistent quality of SAF via syngas, regardless of input material.
• Traceability and security, with less exposure to global commodity markets.
• 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’s 2050 net-zero targets. How does FT CANS enable both greenfield projects and retrofits to expand quickly and economically?
Alberto Giovanzana: IATA’s 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:
• Greenfield projects, where entirely new facilities can be built around local biomass or waste streams.
• 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:
• Maximise feedstock conversion potential, optimising processes to local conditions.
• Integrate carbon capture and utilisation, making use of CO2 as a feedstock through HyCOgen™ technology.
• 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’s 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’s recent announcement of its intention to acquire Johnson Matthey’s Catalyst Technologies business is completely distinct from the announcement about Johnson Matthey’s SAF customer projects. Discussions on the USA BioEnergy project were part of ordinary working discussions between Honeywell and Johnson Matthey’s 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’s next strategic steps—whether through R&D, global collaborations, or scaling deployments—to reinforce its leadership in sustainable fuels?
Alberto Giovanzana: We will continue to invest in:
• R&D to further enhance catalyst resilience and reactor performance.
• Global collaborations such as the SAF Technology Alliance.
• Scaling deployments through existing partnerships and with leading developers worldwide.
• 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.
ChemAnalyst 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 “drop-in” 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’s 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’s 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.
