A new Letter of Intent between Sasol Chemicals and INERATEC signals a significant step towards enhancing sustainable aviation fuel production, with a next-generation catalyst promising a 15% increase in e-kerosene yield.
In a move poised to significantly accelerate the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), Sasol Chemicals, a business unit of Sasol Ltd., and German startup INERATEC have announced a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the supply of Sasol’s next-generation catalyst. This collaboration, set to come to fruition upon the catalyst’s development completion in 2026, promises to push the boundaries of e-kerosene yield and overall production capacity.
INERATEC, a trailblazer in the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) sector, currently operates ERA ONE, the world's largest PtL facility. This cutting-edge plant is designed to produce up to 2,500 tons of sustainable e-Waxes and e-Fuels annually, a feat currently enabled by Sasol’s state-of-the-art Cobalt Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalyst. The anticipated introduction of the next-generation catalyst is expected to allow ERA ONE to surpass its current production targets and, crucially, improve the e-kerosene yield by an impressive 15%. This efficiency gain is vital for the nascent e-SAF market.
Dirk Uys, VP Sales South African Chemicals at Sasol, underscored the critical importance of this development. "To date, the necessary feedstocks for e-SAF, such as green hydrogen, are quite scarce," Uys explained. "That’s why improving yields is the most important lever we have at the moment to make large-scale commercialization feasible." Sasol Chemicals has been a steadfast partner to INERATEC since the earliest testing phases, providing its benchmark catalysts rooted in the company’s proprietary Fischer-Tropsch expertise.
The large-scale commercialization of SAF is widely recognized as a cornerstone in the global effort to de-fossilize air transportation. The industry, political bodies, and the scientific community are all committed to accelerating the development and widespread adoption of these crucial fuels. Tim Böltken, Founder and Managing Director of INERATEC, emphasized the dynamic nature of this field. "This is a fast-developing field. The start-up of ERA ONE early June 2025 is an important signal from INERATEC and we aim to stay a key player in the growing e-SAF market," Böltken stated. He further added, "Having an experienced partner like Sasol Chemicals is a hugely important aspect for our ambitions."
The foundation of Sasol’s benchmark catalysts lies in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, a process discovered and patented a century ago in 1925 by German chemical scientists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch. Sasol has been at the forefront of developing this process as a proprietary technology since the 1950s, establishing itself as a world leader in the field.
