MAIRE has announced that Nextchem, through its subsidiary MyRechemical, has been awarded licensing, process design package (PDP) and engineering services by SKY Renewables Burdekin, an Australian project development company focused on the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), for the syngas section of Project Lion, in North Queensland's Burdekin region, Australia.
The project will use locally available sugarcane residues as feedstock to produce purified chemical grade syngas through the application of NX Circular™ Gasification technology.
The syngas will then be used for subsequent conversion into SAF and renewable diesel through third-party solutions. Once at full operational scale, Project Lion has the potential to produce up to 125,000 tonnes of SAF per year.
By valorising sugarcane tops and trash, residual biomass that is often burned in the field, the project demonstrates how NX Circular™ Gasification enables the transformation of agricultural residues into a valuable intermediate for low-carbon fuels, while supporting a more sustainable use of local biomass resources.
Fabio Fritelli, managing director of Nextchem, commented: “This award confirms the strategic relevance of Nextchem’s proprietary technologies in enabling the development of sustainable fuels from renewable and residual feedstocks.
“We are proud to contribute to a project of this kind in Australia, a geography of growing importance in the evolution of the industry and an important area for the diversification of our portfolio. By leveraging our gasification technology, we can support the conversion of locally available sugarcane residues into low-carbon fuels, combining circular carbon solutions with the decarbonisation needs of aviation.”
New Australian SAF project to use sugarcane residue
