The Fuel for Thought Podcast

Decarbonization is driving us towards feedstocks that are completely different from the fossil feedstocks, we’ve spent decades studying. To fully understand the complexity of renewable feedstocks, and optimize their use in renewable fuels production, we must turn to analytical chemistry. In this episode, we uncover the challenges and techniques for analyzing renewable feedstocks, like fatty acids, waste oil and fats, and more advanced options such as pyrolysis oils and hydrothermal liquefaction products. Settle in for a comprehensive view from both academia and industry as we’re joined by two special guests: Jan Christensen, Professor in Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, and Karina Knudsmark Sjøholm, Principal Scientist at Topsoe.

When it comes to the production of renewable fuels, Latin America is a region filled with potential. With an abundance of easily accessible renewable resources like wind, sun, and biomass waste, and hosting well-advanced refineries and cost-competitive production opportunities, Latin America has the potential to become a key contributor to the global renewable fuels market. In this episode, we talk to Juan Pablo Freijo, founder and CEO of Sempen, and an expert in Latin America’s energy transition. We'll explore the current state of renewable fuels production in Latin America and discuss their future plans.

Step into the fascinating world of catalysts with us! Far from being mere commodities or utilities, catalysts are highly technological tools that are pivotal for renewable fuels production. In this episode, Sylvain dives deep into the role of catalysts in renewables with the help from no less than three Topsoe experts: Marie Grill, Principal Scientist for biobased chemicals, Fie Hallkvist Wilbek, Senior Business Development Manager in Digitalization, and Ignacio Fabian Costa, Licensing Manager for low-carbon fuel technologies. Together, they delve into the comprehensive A-Z of catalysts, discuss strategies for their optimal utilization, and highlight the crucial role of catalysts in renewable fuels production.

We'll be peering into our crystal ball to explore which feedstocks will be used to produce renewable fuels in the future. Joined by Alastair Blanchard, Director for SAF at the ICF Consultancy, we’ll address a wide range of questions surrounding renewable feedstocks, including biogenic feedstocks and feedstocks for e-fuels. Are feedstocks truly the biggest bottleneck? What are the primary risks associated with feedstocks? And are regulations too strict or too moderate when it comes to feedstocks?

A life cycle assessment (LCA) is essential in comprehensively assessing the full environmental and social impacts of transportation fuels. This contrasts with many compliance models and regulations today which emphasize greenhouse gases alone – an approach which can result in ‘carbon tunnel vision’, where other crucial factors are neglected. Examining each step in the fuel’s life cycle – from cradle-to-grave – provides a complete overview of its true impacts. In this episode, Sylvain is joined by Tom Berg, Policy and Sustainability Manager at SkyNRG, and Kenneth Poucher, Head of Sustainability at Topsoe to dive deep into LCA and sustainability in transportation fuels.

The landscape of renewable fuels has changed significantly since we wrapped up season four. But one thing remains the same: renewable fuels continue to power ahead. Mikala and Sylvain are joined by their Topsoe colleague, Milica Folic, for a discussion of the main developments across the industry within the past year. They will cover the currently dominating fuel types and feedstocks, the most recent legislative changes, and an outlook on upcoming hot topics for the next year.

Bill Gates established Breakthrough Energy in 2015 with the aim of funding technologies that can accelerate the clean energy transition and build a net-zero emissions future. Sylvain is joined by Mariano Berkenwald, Senior Associate at Breakthrough Energy, to discuss which efforts are needed to accelerate the deployment of at-scale production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). They touch upon the need for more risk-tolerant capital, long-term off-take agreements with airlines, technologies that can scale globally, and a general acceptance that the era of inexpensive flights may be coming to an end.

Jet engine producer, GE Aerospace, is supporting net-zero emissions in aviation by exploring disruptive designs for future engines. At the same time, they consider SAF an important measure for decarbonizing today, and are pushing for a standard that allows an increase in blend levels from 50% to 100%. Jeff Shaknaitis, Customer Sustainability Leader, and Brice Dally, Senior Staff Engineer for Sustainable Fuels, from GE Aerospace, join Sylvain to explain how they see the role of SAF in future aviation, and how they make sure it's compatible and safe to use with GE Aerospace’s current and future engines.

With an ambitious goal of 45% emissions reduction by 2030, Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian) is working on a wide range of actions to become a more sustainable airline. Joined by Anders Fagernæs, Vice President of Sustainability at Norwegian, Sylvain Verdier takes a closer look at the various efforts the airline is working on to achieve this target. Together, they cover the entire palette of sustainability at Norwegian, including their emissions reporting in scope 1 and 2, the challenges and opportunities of scope 3, and the limited supply of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which, earlier this year, led the airline into a new partnership with Norske e-Fuel for SAF production.

Maritime transport is the last to start its decarbonization transition. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and some key industry players are paving the way to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But which fuels could be used to do so, when both the road and aviation segments are also on the same journey? In this episode, Sylvain will be talking to Anders Erlandson from the Technical University of Denmark and Nikolaj Knudsen from Topsoe about the future role of ammonia and methanol as marine fuels. There is a lot to talk about, so make sure you’ve got your notebook ready.

In the episode 4 we started the conversation about Fit for 55 – what are the goals and philosophy behind the legislation. In this episode, Sylvain continues this conversation with Adriana Guerenabarrena from Hydrogen Denmark and Ian Moore from Advisian. They will deep-dive into the future role of biofuels, eFuels and what these initiatives will mean for road transport, aviation, marine and also the industry in general.

On July 14, 2021, the European Commission launched its largest regulatory initiative as part of the Green Deal: The Fit for 55 package. Some called it a seismic change. The proposed directives will basically affect the way Europe deal with energy, resources and transport until 2050. Since then, the RePowerEU program was also announced, and this adds another layer of complexity. The intricacy of all these initiatives is almost impossible to grasp. In this episode, Sylvain talks to Adriana Guerenabarrena from Hydrogen Denmark and Ian Moore from Advisian about the philosophy and goals of “Fit for 55” and “RePower EU”, and share some insights. Let’s jump right in!

European refineries are under pressure to decrease their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to produce high amounts of renewable fuels for transport and as feed for the PetChem sector. This is not a trivial challenge. But some refineries have implemented ambitious sustainability strategies in order to answer this call. In this episode, Sylvain talks to Michael Kraussler and Ventsislav Mishev from energy and chemicals company OMV about their decarbonization journey – past, present and future. They look at the overall plans and targets, as well as details of key projects.

North America have recently seen the implementation of highly ambitious initiatives to support the production of renewable fuels, especially for the road and aviation sectors. The Inflation Reduction Act, the potential change of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in California and the Canadian Clean Fuel Regulations are game changers for renewable fuels. In this episode, Sylvain talks to Tammy Klein from Future Fuels Strategies and Fred Ghatala from Advanced Biofuels Canada about the new mandates, incentives and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings targets being implemented at both state, province and federal levels. There’s a lot to cover in a short time, so let’s get started!

Welcome to season four of The Fuel for Thought Podcast. Since the last season the global renewable fuel industry has seen a surge in projects and Mikala and Sylvain are kicking off the new season with a discussion of what changes the industry has been through, and where it is headed. In this episode, they will share their thoughts on the current trends in the global renewable fuel market, touching on everything from legislation to hot topics – and much more.

Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (especially HEFA-SPK) is done at industrial scale but what does it take to do so? In this episode, Sylvain talks to Jonathan Wood from Neste about their strategy within SAF production and they address a lot of topics ranging from feedstock to logistics, sustainability, the current legislative initiatives across the globe or even new types of SAF. Let us listen one of the leading companies within production of renewable fuels!

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been one of the top priorities of the aviation industry for a couple of years now - from airlines to fuel producers. But many myths are out there and may confuse some. In this episode, Sylvain talks to Oskar Meijerink from SkyNRG about eight popular myths about Sustainable Aviation Fuel – are they true or false? They will discuss topics such as “Is SAF sustainable and climate neutral?”, “Can airplanes fly with 100% SAF?” and “Am I emitting less CO2 when I fly and purchase SAF?”.

Welcome to the first episode of the SAF Specials podcast series – part of our Flight Plan Green initiative to help decarbonize the aviation industry. Sylvain Verdier, Senior Business Strategy Manager at Topsoe will be talking to Lars W. Andersen from Scandinavian Airlines Systems and Marie Louise Hansen from Copenhagen Airport to understand what they think of SAF. They will enlighten us about infrastructure, decarbonization strategies, prices and much more from an off-takers perspective. Fasten your seatbelts – the take-off for cleaner skies starts now.

The shipping industry is entering the decarbonization journey at full speed. Green fuels, blue fuels, biofuels…. where will the world take them? Several initiatives are currently in place at International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EU level, but will those be sufficient to drive the change needed? These are some of the questions we discuss with decarbonization experts Torben Nørgaard and Michael Maimann from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.

As renewable fuel demand will increase significantly in the coming decades and sustainability criteria are getting more stringent, certification is becoming an even more important factor for the whole renewable fuel supply chain. In this episode, Sylvain welcomes Elena Schmidt from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), and Sascha Wüstenhöfer from International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), for an extensive rundown on what it takes to keep renewable fuel production sustainable.