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Pioneering Sustainable Aviation Fuel Under Sarah Ellerby’s Leadership

Nova Pangaea Technologies (NPT), under the leadership of CEO Sarah Ellerby, is a UK-based clean technology company headquartered in Teesside. The company has developed REFNOVA®, a proprietary and patented second-generation (2G) technology process that converts woody and non-food-derived agricultural residues into high-value products such as 2G ethanol and biochar. The 2G ethanol can be utilized through the alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) pathway to produce advanced biofuels like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The biochar, a natural carbon removal product, delivers immediate decarbonization impact through sequestration and enables a potentially negative CO₂ emissions profile. It can also be used for soil improvement and as a filler in cement and asphalt. 

Recent Developments:

  • Investment from International Airlines Group (IAG): In July 2023, IAG, the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and LEVEL, announced an investment into NPT to advance the development of 'NOVAONE,' NPT's first commercial-scale waste-to-fuel production facility in the UK. This plant aims to convert agricultural waste and wood residues into SAF, supporting IAG's commitment to achieving 10% SAF usage by 2030. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the facility producing biofuels by 2025, creating major employment opportunities in the North-East.

  • Project Speedbird Collaboration: NPT has partnered with British Airways and LanzaJet in 'Project Speedbird,' a venture that secured £9 million in funding from the UK Government's Advanced Fuels Fund in November 2023. The project plans to produce 102 million liters of SAF annually, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 230,000 tonnes per year. The SAF will be developed using NPT's technology to convert agricultural waste into bioethanol, which LanzaJet's proprietary process will then convert into SAF. British Airways intends to purchase all the SAF produced through Project Speedbird to help power some of its flights.

These initiatives underscore NPT's commitment to leveraging innovative technologies to transform waste biomass into sustainable fuels, playing a pivotal role in the global transition to renewable energy sources and the decarbonization of the aviation industry.