Technion announces new center to develop sustainable aviation fuel tech

The Israeli Sustainable Aviation Fuel Knowledge Center (iSAF) has been inaugurated at the Technion, the university says in a press release, “a significant step towards producing sustainable fuels for the aviation sector” that will help Israel develop local industry and technology in this area.

Israel has a 2030 goal of producing sustainable aviation fuels locally, and in 2050, international aviation regulations are to mandate “exclusive” use of sustainable fuels, the announcement notes.

The new center has five primary goals, according to the notice: developing a national research strategy for alternative aviation fuels; creating world-class advanced research infrastructure; fostering scientific and engineering leadership while training the next generation of scientists in the field; encouraging Israeli and international collaborations between academia and industry; and accumulating and disseminating knowledge to researchers, the public, and decision-makers.

The iSAF program is supported by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology and is a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The new center is directed by experts from the Technion’s Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and includes researchers from the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, and Ben-Gurion University.