A summary of Avioxx's stellar year advancing net-zero aviation through Sustainable Aviation Fuel development
Avioxx was founded in May 2023 with the ambitious goal of producing premium sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with unparalleled efficiency that can enable scalable production at a remarkably low cost with a dramatic increase in carbon reduction in comparison to other systems. Avioxx are committed to becoming the leader in sustainable fuel innovation.
Just ten months into its founding, the firm has already reached several key milestones and are making significant strides toward their goal. They have engaged with numerous engineers, academics, industry experts, and investors to identify the right partners and collaborators to help bring their project to life and help drive system change within the Aerospace and travel sector to achieve net zero carbon output much sooner than forecast.
As the team head into 2024, they take stock of their journey thus far and plan for another big year ahead. Take a read on their most recent achievements.
Technology & Engineering
- Chemical process analysis has been completed for the Avioxx waste-to-fuel system. From the mass and energy balance methodology, the process is demonstrating 2.26 times lower emissions and a 26% lower fuel price than the nearest major competitor.
- The firm’s lab-scale gasification reactor has been commissioned and the first experiment has been run, successfully turning waste into syngas and demonstrating the first step in the Avioxx process.
- Their first lab-scale Fischer-Tropsch reactor, which will be used to turn syngas into synthesised crude oil, has also been delivered. The team are currently preparing the catalyst required for the reaction and intend on running experiments early 2024.
- The firm has passed Stage 1 of the SAF Testing Grant application with the UK SAF Clearing House (CH). They are in contact with the CH team to facilitate the regulatory testing process to obtain ASTM approval. Fuel testing is likely to begin Q1 this year.
- A project milestone schedule has been created to deliver the first SAF production plant with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per annum (tpa).
- In addition, a parallel workstream has been initiated to develop a smaller modular-based 100 tpa-capacity plant which could go into production as early as late 2024, putting Avioxx as one of the first to market.
- Avioxx directors have engaged with technology providers in the UK and the United States to discuss potential partnerships in the development of bespoke reactors for the Avioxx system and MOU has been signed for the delivery of the required Solid Oxide Fuel Cells as part of the Avioxx system.
- Avioxx directors have also identified a site in the northwest of England at the Protos Energy and Innovation Park near Ellesmere Port. This site gives access to national pipeline infrastructure, Stanlow refinery for conventional fuel blending and potential shipping of the fuel for international customers.
- Detailed design of the 5000 tpa plant has commenced with comprehensive blueprints of the process flow currently being drawn up by the design team. Avioxx are working towards submitting a planning application for the site at Protos. Planning approval sits on the critical path to production.
Business Development
- Detailed financial modelling has been completed for the business, integrating the chemical models that have been completed. The financial model demonstrates outstanding potential for the Avioxx system in comparison to the competitor systems with a 7.7% efficiency of waste to fuel (based on the weight of household municipal waste to fuel).
- The firm has signed their first offtake agreements with private fuel suppliers.
- They have also engaged with the airline industry, identifying several potential clients and partners.
- The company has secured seed funding through private investment, allowing initial activities to commence. They have also engaged with potential investors across the globe as they look to complete their full pre-series A round. Pre-series A funding would accelerate the development of the first Avioxx plants.
Public Engagement
- Avioxx held a public launch event in September at the Society of Chemical Industry in London. The event was attended by industry professionals, investors and family and friends. A summary of the evening was captured in this video.
- Avioxx are making their debut at an industry event. Dr. Mike Hancock, Co-Founder and Chairman of Avioxx, will be at SAF Investor London 2024 27th - 28th February as a panellist in the discussion on ‘Trash talking: Municipal waste’.
- Dr. Hancock has also been confirmed to speak at Gasification 2024 in Ghent, Belgium from 20th - 21st March.
- The directors will be in attendance at Innovation Zero 2024 in London to learn about the latest in net zero innovation and establish themselves within the industry. More details about their participation to come soon.
We’re sincerely appreciative to our partners, team investors and customers for their support during 2023 to allow us to progress fuel innovation at such pace as we all work together to address the climate emergency allowing us to transition to a green and circular economy.
If you would like to get in touch to learn more about our business then please do not hesitate to get in touch at info@avioxx.com