In a major breakthrough for both the dairy and aviation sectors, Circularity Fuels has successfully completed the world’s first end-to-end conversion of raw agricultural biogas into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using dairy farm waste. The six-month pilot, conducted on biogas sourced directly from a California dairy farm manure digester, produced drop-in jet fuel that meets ASTM D7566 Annex A1 specifications for commercial aviation fuel. The company reported that its technology could achieve commercial-scale capital costs of less than US$100,000 per barrel per day of installed capacity—approximately one-fifth the cost of SAF plants currently being developed in Europe—potentially making biogas-derived SAF cost-competitive with conventional jet fuel.
The pilot was hosted at a dairy farm with more than 5,000 cows near Madera, California, where much of the biogas generated from manure had previously been vented or flared. Circularity’s integrated system operated on raw biogas containing roughly 65% methane and 35% carbon dioxide, eliminating the need for costly gas-cleaning infrastructure. Its proprietary Ouro bi-reforming reactor achieved more than 98% methane conversion and over 90% CO₂ conversion, while the resulting fuel can be blended at up to 50% with conventional Jet-A fuel for use in commercial aircraft. The company estimates the fuel’s carbon intensity at -350.7 gCO₂e/MJ, making it carbon-negative under California’s regulatory framework.
With global SAF production still supplying less than 1% of aviation fuel demand, the project demonstrates a new pathway for converting dairy waste into high-value renewable fuel while creating additional revenue opportunities for dairy farmers. Circularity Fuels plans to begin development of its first commercial-scale facility in 2027, targeting agricultural biogas resources across the United States, Latin America, and Europe. Industry observers view the achievement as a significant step toward linking dairy sustainability, methane reduction, renewable energy generation, and low-carbon aviation fuel production.
Source: Dairynews7x7 16 June, 2026 Read full article here
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