Distinguish HEFA, alcohol-to-jet, Fischer-Tropsch and power-to-liquid production pathways by feedstock and process.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production Pathways and Feedstock Certification
Explains the main sustainable aviation fuel production pathways, feedstock eligibility and certification schemes, and how blenders and airlines verify compliant supply for offtake agreements.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Airlines and fuel suppliers signing sustainable aviation fuel offtake agreements now need to understand not just the chemistry of production but the certification paperwork that determines whether a batch of fuel actually counts toward a compliance target. This course explains the main production pathways approved under ASTM D7566, from hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids using used cooking oil and animal fats, through alcohol-to-jet and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from gasified biomass or waste, to emerging power-to-liquid routes using captured carbon dioxide and low-carbon hydrogen. Sessions then turn to feedstock eligibility, explaining how certification schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification verify that feedstock is genuinely waste or residue rather than diverted from other uses, and how chain-of-custody documentation follows fuel from feedstock collection through to blending. The course covers how CORSIA eligibility criteria and lifecycle emissions calculations determine which batches qualify for airline compliance, and how offtake agreements allocate certification risk between producer, blender and airline. Participants finish able to assess a proposed SAF supply chain for genuine sustainability credentials and structure contract terms that protect against certification failure.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Explain ASTM D7566 approval requirements and blending limits for each certified sustainable aviation fuel pathway.
Assess feedstock eligibility under certification schemes to distinguish genuine waste streams from diverted feedstock.
Trace chain-of-custody documentation for sustainable aviation fuel from feedstock collection through to blending.
Apply CORSIA eligible fuel criteria and lifecycle emissions calculations to determine compliance batch eligibility.
Evaluate power-to-liquid pathway economics against captured carbon dioxide and low-carbon hydrogen availability.
Structure offtake agreement terms that allocate certification and supply risk between producer, blender and airline.
Who Should Attend
Airline fuel procurement and sustainability teams negotiating SAF offtake agreements
Refinery and fuel producer staff evaluating sustainable aviation fuel production investment
Feedstock traders and aggregators supplying used cooking oil and biomass residues
Certification and compliance officers verifying chain-of-custody documentation
Energy transition analysts assessing sustainable aviation fuel supply chain risk
Regulatory affairs staff tracking CORSIA and regional blending mandate compliance
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Production Pathways and Fuel Specifications
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1HEFA, Alcohol-to-Jet and Fischer-Tropsch Pathways
- Explain the hydroprocessing steps that convert used cooking oil and animal fats into HEFA jet fuel.
- Describe the fermentation and dehydration steps that convert sugar or starch feedstocks into alcohol-to-jet fuel.
- Outline the gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis route from municipal solid waste or forestry residue.
- Compare capital intensity, feedstock flexibility and blend limits across the three established production pathways.
Session 2Power-to-Liquid Pathways and Fuel Standards
- Explain how captured carbon dioxide and electrolytic hydrogen combine to produce synthetic aviation fuel.
- Assess renewable electricity availability and cost as the primary constraint on power-to-liquid project economics.
- Review ASTM D7566 annexes and blending ratio limits governing which synthetic paraffinic kerosene qualifies for use.
- Identify quality control testing required to confirm a fuel batch meets aviation turbine fuel specifications.
02Feedstock Eligibility and Certification Schemes
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Feedstock Eligibility and Sustainability Criteria
- Distinguish genuine waste and residue feedstocks from material diverted from existing food or feed uses.
- Apply land-use and indirect land-use change criteria to feedstocks derived from purpose-grown energy crops.
- Assess double-counting risk where a feedstock is claimed under more than one national incentive scheme.
- Evaluate social and environmental sustainability criteria applied by certification schemes to feedstock sourcing.
Session 2Certification Schemes and Chain of Custody
- Compare the scope and audit approach of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials and ISCC certification schemes.
- Trace mass-balance and segregated chain-of-custody models used to track feedstock through processing and blending.
- Review documentation required at each supply chain link to support a sustainability declaration for a fuel batch.
- Identify common audit findings that lead to certificate suspension or withdrawal for a production facility.
03Regulatory Compliance and Lifecycle Emissions
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1CORSIA Eligibility and Lifecycle Emissions Calculation
- Explain CORSIA eligible fuel criteria and how they differ from national blending mandate requirements.
- Calculate default and actual lifecycle emissions values used to determine a fuel batch's compliance credit.
- Assess how core and induced land-use change emissions factors affect a pathway's lifecycle emissions result.
- Track verification and reporting obligations airlines must meet to claim CORSIA emissions reduction credit.
Session 2Regional Mandates and Incentive Interaction
- Compare regional blending mandates and their interaction with CORSIA eligibility for the same fuel batch.
- Assess how tax credits and incentive stacking rules affect the delivered cost of certified sustainable aviation fuel.
- Identify compliance risks where a batch meets one jurisdiction's criteria but not another's eligibility rules.
- Track upcoming regulatory changes likely to affect feedstock eligibility and certification requirements.
04Commercial Structuring of SAF Supply
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Offtake Agreement Structuring
- Draft offtake terms that specify required certification standard, feedstock type and delivery volume commitments.
- Allocate certification failure risk between producer, blender and airline within the offtake agreement.
- Structure book-and-claim mechanisms that allow environmental attributes to be sold separately from physical fuel.
- Negotiate price indexation clauses that reflect feedstock cost volatility and incentive value changes.
Session 2Supply Chain Risk Assessment for Buyers
- Assess a proposed SAF supplier's feedstock sourcing and certification track record before signing an offtake agreement.
- Evaluate production facility scale-up risk against the buyer's required delivery schedule and volume commitments.
- Structure contract audit rights that allow a buyer to verify ongoing certification and chain-of-custody compliance.
- Build a supply diversification strategy that reduces exposure to a single pathway or feedstock source.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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