Sinopec and Airbus to develop Chinese alternative aviation fuel

China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), one of China’s biggest energy companies and Airbus are developing and promoting renewable aviation fuel production for regular commercial use in China. Sinopec is the instrumental partner in helping the Central Government to establish a Chinese airworthiness certification for alternative aviation fuels made from locally grown feedstocks. The certified fuel known as “1# bio-jetfuel” will be produced by Sinopec using its own technology in a newly built refinery in Hangzhou (near Shanghai). The refinery is one of the few in the world that has the capacity to produce aviation fuel from biomass in large-scale. Airbus is supporting the development of the Chinese standard with technical expertise gained in past certification processes with the European Union and US fuels standards bodies and in the selection of sustainable feedstocks.