The Digest’s 2024 Multi-Slide Guide to Haffner Energy

December 27, 2024

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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This is a an overview from Haffner Energy, a cleantech provider specializing in biomass-to-energy solutions. It highlights their technology, SAFnoca®, which uses residual biomass to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAFnoca is designed to be modular, scalable, and cost-effective while reducing carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional jet fuel. Haffner Energy’s value proposition is to replace fossil fuels with affordable clean fuels, using their proprietary thermolysis technology to extract valuable biogenic CO2 and produce renewable hydrogen, syngas, and biochar. The an overview showcases the company’s expertise and experience in this field, with over 30 years of experience in biomass-to-energy projects and a first-of-its-kind bio-SAF project in Europe currently underway. The an overview also emphasizes the growing demand for SAF and Haffner Energy’s strategic positioning to meet this need through its unique biomass-agnostic technology. READ MORE

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Excerpt from Haffner Energy: The commissioning of the Marolles renewable hydrogen and gas production, testing and training center, located in the vicinity of Haffner Energy’s headquarters, was the single-most critical project for the company in 2024. Syngas production kicked off in June 2024 (see 6/20/2024 press release). The installation of new equipment designed to produce renewable hydrogen followed over the past half-year (see 11/22/2024 press release).

This showcase site is a strategic instrument for Haffner Energy’s commercial and industrial development. It will make it possible to bring some 120 tonnes of hydrogen per year to market, generating revenue. As such, after closing, a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of renewable hydrogen was signed with a French operator specializing in hydrogen shipping and distribution, to collect and sell hydrogen produced on site in order to decarbonize mobility and industry.

A showroom of the company’s know-how, this site, designed to operate continuously 8,000 hours a year, presents a wide range of Haffner Energy’s solutions: production of “super green” hydrogen and gas, co-production of electricity, as well as production and/or gasification of biocarbon and/or biochar.

This site was inaugurated on November 22, 2024, during Industry Week, (see 11/22/2024 press release and press kit) after a year of development, including archaeological excavations and assembly of the equipment. It attests to the technological maturity of Haffner Energy’s technologies, as well as to their economic and ecological relevance.

The Marolles project could be carried out in part thanks to the support and commitment of the French public authorities through many stakeholders. To date, it has received over €1M in public funding (see 11/22/2024 press release and press kit). This substantial support demonstrates confidence in Haffner Energy’s potential and alignment with the French government’s reindustrialization strategy.

While achieving this major milestone for its industrial and commercial development, Haffner Energy also succeeded in forging several partnerships with leading international players in the SAF market during the same period.

A collaboration was launched with US company LanzaJet, a world leader in ATJ (Alcohol-To-Jet) technology, distinguished by TIME magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Companies” in 2024. For now, this collaboration centers on the “Paris-Vatry SAF” project led by Haffner Energy and announced in May 2024 (see 05/16/2024 and 06/06/2024 press releases). This will be the first French project to produce SAF from biomass thermolysis. Developed in collaboration with several public and private partners, Paris-Vatry SAF will be installed at Vatry airport in the Marne department in Grand Est Region. This project will have a production capacity of 60,000 tons per year.

In Iceland, a key agreement was signed in September 2024 (see 09/02/2024 press release) with IðunnH2, the green hydrogen and sustainable e-fuel project developer in charge of the country’s largest e-SAF production plant project (65,000-tonne capacity). Located near Keflavík International Airport and scheduled for commissioning in 2028, it will be supplied with biogenic carbon from biocarbon gasification by Haffner Energy’s patented technology. This solution was chosen by IðunnH2 for its ability to significantly reduce costs and increase productivity in the e-SAF production process. Indeed, in Iceland, limited local biomass reduces access to biogenic carbon, an essential component of SAF. Haffner Energy’s procurement of solid biocarbon to be gasified on-site by its Gasiliner®, will provide a competitive and flexible alternative to the traditional option of biogenic CO₂, a gas that is expensive to capture, transport and store.

Trust from these operators, who are among the most advanced in the SAF market, illustrates Haffner Energy’s ability to build the partners’ network that is required to aim for pole position in this particularly buoyant market segment.

The period was also used by the company to move forward on other strategic fronts. In France, a new agreement was signed in August 2024 (see 09/24/2024 press release) to ensure that sources of sustainable biomass, the largest source of renewable energy in France and around the world, are diversified. Concluded with Bambbco, France’s leader in the bamboo supply chain, this partnership aims to improve the biomass-to-energy supply chain, particularly on marginal lands and in desert areas, by creating local ecosystems for sustainable fuel production projects. This agreement is in line with the strategic approach behind the partnership signed in March 2024 with Hexas, a US company specializing in the production of raw materials from its regenerative crop: XanoGrass™ (see 03/13/2024 press release).

Furthermore, Haffner Energy has been striving to structure its activity and future developments on the SAF front by launching the creation of an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) for the Paris-Vatry SAF project and by announcing the upcoming launch of SAF Zero, a spin-off designed to maximize the Group’s potential in the booming Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) market (see 09/12/2024 press release). Finally, the creation of Haffner Energy Inc., an unconsolidated US subsidiary, was completed in May 2024 (see 05/29/2024 press release).

2024 IN BRIEF

January: Construction begins on a hydrogen production, testing and training center in the Vitry-Marolles business park (Marne), close to Haffner Energy’s headquarters.

February 9: Former President of France François Hollande visits Haffner Energy in Vitry-le-François, accompanied by several local elected officials.

March 13: Haffner Energy and US company Hexas announce the launch of an integrated offering for the production of renewable energy from biomass grown on marginal lands.

April 16: The new Haffner Energy website is launched.

April 23: Haffner Energy wins Business France’s “Coup de Cœur” CSR Booster Prize and CEO Philippe Haffner becomes an ambassador for Team France Export.

May 29: Announcement of the creation of Haffner Energy, Inc., the US entity of Haffner Energy.

June 6: Haffner Energy joins forces with American leader in the Alcohol-to-Jet process LanzaJet, named by TIME magazine on the 2024 “100 Most Influential Companies” list, for the “Paris-Vatry SAF” project, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant at Paris-Vatry airport.

June 18: Production of renewable gas (syngas) begins at the Marolles site.

September 2: Haffner Energy and IðunnH2, an Icelandic developer of green hydrogen projects, sign a key agreement to reduce costs and secure carbon supply for Iceland’s largest e-SAF project (65,000 tons/year).

September 17: Haffner Energy’s proprietary HYNOCA® solution is selected for a project to produce syngas and renewable hydrogen for industrial and mobility use in the Nord Lozère industrial area in Occitanie Region, France. The aim is to meet the needs of the ArcelorMittal plant in Saint-Chély-d’Apcher.

September 24: Haffner Energy joins forces with Bambbco, France’s leading bamboo ecosystem developer, to diversify sources of sustainable biomass with no conflicts of use.

September 30: The Nede’HY project, which aims to produce green hydrogen from Haffner Energy’s HYNOCA® solution, wins ADEME’s EcosysH2 call for projects.

October 17: 500,000 euros in subsidies are awarded to Haffner Energy for its new hydrogen production, testing and training center, via the France 2030 Regionalized program, co-financed by the French government and the Grand Est Region and operated by Bpifrance.

November 22: Haffner Energy’s hydrogen production, testing and training center is inaugurated during Industry Week. On this occasion, Henri Prévost, Marne County prefect, announces the award of 400,000 euros in subsidies via the “Fonds vert – Territoires d’industrie en transition écologique” financed by the French government and operated by ADEME.

Early November-late December: More than a dozen delegations of customers and partners from ten countries and four continents traveled to Vitry-Marolles to visit the center. READ MORE

Excerpt from Capital Markets: A mix of economic, technical, and geopolitical factors have prevented the widespread use of SAF so far.
Despite delays, the decarbonization of aviation through the use of SAF is now picking up pace.
Government and industry will need to work together to meet EU targets for 70% SAF use by 2050
For many years, Philippe Haffner has been a leading advocate for the rapid adoption and scaling up of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Europe’s aviation industry. The company he helped found, France-based Haffner Energy, has pioneered an innovative, patented thermolysis technology called SAFNOCA that uses thermal-decomposition processes to transform biomass into energy. It is designed to overcome the barriers to large-scale SAF production by converting any solid biomass residues or wastes into a renewable synthesis gas it calls Hypergas, a key component in the production of SAF. This offers significant potential for the wider decarbonization of the aviation industry.We had one or two years of delay, but now things are moving fast.

Barriers to uptake
While Haffner Energy has made significant inroads into the production and roll-out of SAF, the airline industry as a whole has been slow to catch up. Haffner sees two main reasons for this. “The first is an economic issue,” he says. READ MORE/WATCH Interview

Excerpt from Haffner Energy/Globe Newswire:

Haffner Energy, a leading advanced solid biomass-to-clean fuels solutions provider, LanzaTech, a carbon management company providing a differentiated syngas-to-ethanol solution, and LanzaJet, the leading ethanol-to-jet technology company and fuels producer, announce today they are working together to explore joint biomass-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) projects covering the entire production value chain.

The three companies are exploring SAF production opportunities, including the development of commercial plants, joint technology licenses, and offtake opportunities as they become available, and funding support and/or investment in specific SAF projects.

“The three companies together demonstrate the type of partnership and technology alignment this industry will need to be successful in meeting the global demands of aviation,” says LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis. “CirculAir™, the joint product between LanzaJet and LanzaTech, brings together our proprietary technologies to create low-carbon SAF from a variety of feedstocks, including discreet biomass sources. The technology developed by Haffner Energy further opens new opportunities for additional SAF production because it is biomass-agnostic.

France-based Haffner Energy relies on its 31-years of experience to design, manufacture, supply, license, and operate proprietary disruptive clean fuels solutions using all types of biomass residues wet or dry, including agricultural and municipal waste.

LanzaJet, a U.S.-based company with operations around the world, has a leading, exclusive, and patented Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology. LanzaJet is backed by global airport operator group Aéroports de Paris (ADP), British Airways, Airbus, Southwest Airlines and Microsoft, among others. In 2024 LanzaJet was named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, and opened the world’s first commercial-scale ATJ plant in the U.S.

LanzaTech is a proven leader in commercial-scale carbon management solutions, with operations worldwide that transform waste carbon into valuable raw materials, such as ethanol. Ethanol is the essential input required to produce SAF through the ATJ pathway. LanzaTech’s waste-based ethanol provides a tremendous resource for the scalability of the ATJ pathway and CirculAir™, the initiative unveiled last year by LanzaTech and LanzaJet, formally brings together both companies’ technologies into one integrated solution to take advantage of the immense opportunity in using waste-based feedstocks for SAF production.

LanzaTech’s extensive experience using synthetic gas (syngas) as a feedstock to produce ethanol coupled with the proven flexibility of Haffner Energy’s proprietary technology to use a wide array of biomass residues to produce syngas, creates a strong foundation upon which to connect LanzaJet’s ATJ technology. The combination of the three companies’ technology unlocks a compelling pipeline of opportunities to develop and build multiple profitable projects together.

“We are excited to team up with LanzaTech and LanzaJet to develop our first SAF projects together, says Haffner Energy co-founder and CEO Philippe Haffner. We’re confident that CirculAir™ is an exciting pathway, and we look forward to growing our global pipeline together thanks to our combined technologies.”

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, Chair and CEO of LanzaTech, and Board Chair of LanzaJet, stated, “The powerful combination of CirculAir and Haffner Energy's technologies widens the range of waste-based feedstocks able to be used to meet growing SAF demand. Together, our technologies and teaming can drive innovation and economic growth through advanced technology. This partnership is about more than just fuel production; it's about creating well-paid jobs in rural areas, generating additional value from agricultural and forestry waste, and building new refineries that can bolster local economies.”

About Haffner Energy

Haffner Energy designs, manufactures, supplies, and operates biofuel and hydrogen solutions using biomass residues. Its innovative, patented thermolysis technology produces Sustainable Aviation Fuel, as well as renewable gas, hydrogen, and methanol. The company also contributes to regenerating the planet through the co-production of biogenic CO2 and biochar. A family-owned company co-founded 31 years ago by Marc and Philippe Haffner, Haffner Energy has been working from the outset to decarbonize industry and all forms of mobility, as well as governments and local communities. Further information is available at https://www.haffner-energy.com.

About LanzaJet

LanzaJet is a leading alternative fuels technology and engineering company with a patented Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology, LanzaJet is creating an opportunity for future generations by catalyzing the deployment of SAF and other energy solutions capable of building new industries, creating next generation jobs, and transforming the global economy. LanzaJet was named to TIME100 Most Influential Companies list in 2024. The company is backed by investors and supporters including: LanzaTech, Suncor, Mitsui, Shell, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, Microsoft, Breakthrough Energy, Southwest Airlines, MUFG, Groupe ADP and Airbus. Further information is available at https://www.lanzajet.com/.

About LanzaTech

LanzaTech Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNZA) is the carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable fuels, chemicals, materials, and protein for everyday products. Using its bio-recycling technology, LanzaTech captures carbon generated by energy-intensive industries at the source, preventing it from being emitted into the air. LanzaTech then gives that captured carbon a new life as a clean replacement for virgin fossil carbon in everything from household cleaners and clothing fibers to packaging and fuels. By partnering with companies across the global supply chain like ArcelorMittal, Coty, Craghoppers, and LanzaJet, LanzaTech is paving the way for a circular carbon economy. For more information about LanzaTech, visit https://lanzatech.com. READ MORE