Boeing, Clear Sky Partner to Turn Sewage into Sustainable Fuel

Boeing and Clear Sky, a company dedicated to aviation sustainability investment, have announced a collaboration to advance sustainability solutions for the aviation sector. The partnership’s initial project will involve supporting Firefly Green Fuels’ cutting-edge technology, which aims to increase the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United Kingdom.

Firefly Green Fuels employs a process called hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to convert sewage waste into SAF. This process uses heat and high pressure to transform waste into biocrude oil and biochar, a powdered substance that can be used as fertilizer. Independent analyses have shown that SAF produced from this process reduces lifecycle CO₂ emissions by more than 90% compared to traditional petroleum-based jet fuel.

Boeing will contribute by providing training, direction, and facilitating testing to expedite the qualification of this new SAF production method.

Brian Moran, chief sustainability officer, Boeing, highlighted the significance of this initiative: “SAF offers the greatest opportunity to decarbonize aviation, and the industry’s collective challenge of bringing it to scale globally requires new sustainable pathways. Clear Sky combines many years of investment expertise with knowledge on aviation’s decarbonization challenges. Firefly’s technology holds transformative potential as the SAF feedstock, sewage waste, is accessible in all regions of the globe.”

Currently, SAF accounts for only 0.1% of global aviation fuel usage. According to the UK’s Net Zero Carbon Roadmap by ICF, achieving the country’s goal of a 10% SAF blend in aviation fuel by 2030 will require 1.2 million tonnes of SAF, increasing to 7 million tonnes by 2050. The investment by Boeing and Clear Sky aims to help meet these targets, as the available sewage waste in the UK could significantly contribute to the nation’s SAF needs.

In addition to their support for Firefly, Boeing and Clear Sky are embarking on a broader international investment partnership focused on sustainability solutions across aviation and related industries such as chemicals and materials. Their areas of focus include SAF, alternative propulsion, carbon removal, and advanced materials and recycling.

Krishnan Narayanan, Founding Partner, Clear Sky, expressed his optimism about the partnership: “Boeing is undoubtedly a leader in advancing aviation’s decarbonization journey. We are delighted to be collaborating with Boeing to scale Firefly with more projects to be announced in the future.”

James Hygate, CEO, Firefly, emphasized the broader impact of their technology: “In a world where demand for SAF outstrips available supply, Firefly is paving the way to cost-competitive and globally available fuel. With the support of Clear Sky and Boeing, we are propelling toward our goal of commercial production in the UK by 2029, and rapid replication across the globe.”