Praj Industries showcases its integrated Ethanol-to-Jet SAF pathway

Praj Industries has successfully demonstrated its integrated Ethanol-to-Jet (EtJ) process for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) using Axens’ Jetanol™ technology at its fully integrated SAF demonstration plant at Praj Matrix, its R&D centre. Praj held that the milestone marks a significant step toward commercialising low-carbon aviation fuels.

The announcement was made at Wings India 2026 during a SAF roundtable chaired by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in the presence of senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and key industry stakeholders. Praj and Axens executives highlighted the achievement as a validation of technological readiness for large-scale deployment.

The integrated demo plant, earlier inaugurated by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, has now proven both major Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) pathways. Praj said that after earlier success with bio-isobutanol, the facility has validated bio-ethanol as a feedstock under the EtJ route, strengthening Praj’s feedstock-agnostic SAF technology portfolio.

Axens, a global provider of cleaner fuel technologies, has licensed its Jetanol™ Alcohol-to-Jet process to Praj, covering dehydration, oligomerisation and hydrogenation steps, along with catalysts and technical support. The collaboration positions Praj as the first company globally to offer a fully integrated, end-to-end AtJ solution encompassing both ethanol and isobutanol, validated at demo-plant scale and ready for commercial rollout.

The technology enables the production of drop-in SAF compliant with ASTM D7566 standards and fully compatible with existing aircraft engines and aviation infrastructure.

Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Founder Chairman of Praj Industries, said, “With our indigenously developed integrated solutions now proven across both Alcohol-to-Jet and Ethanol-to-Jet pathways, Praj is well positioned to support Oil Marketing Companies and other stakeholders such as ethanol producers (both, sugarcane and grain based) through flexible deployment models, including bolt-on solutions to existing assets as well as greenfield projects, enabling faster and scalable production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in line with emerging mandates.”

Quentin Debuisschert, CEO & Chairman of the Board of Axens, added, “Our long-standing experience in process design, catalyst development and technology licensing enables us to support producers with derisked pathways as they move towards higher SAF output and increasingly demanding regulatory frameworks.”

Praj has earlier supported India’s first commercial passenger flight powered by SAF-blended aviation turbine fuel in collaboration with Indian Oil.

It was reiterated at the event that SAF will be central to aviation’s decarbonisation strategy, with global demand projected to exceed 500 million tonnes by 2050.