Southern Energy, Axens to Collaborate on Sustainable Aviation Fuel Project

Southern Energy Renewables Inc., a biomass gasification technology provider, and Axens, a provider of oil and biomass conversion solutions, have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of sustainable aviation fuel and related projects, with an initial focus on a planned biomass-to-fuels facility in Louisiana.

According to the companies, Southern will lead overall project development, including site work, permitting, feedstock sourcing and offtake engagement, while Axens is expected to serve as licensor of record for key technologies across the value chain. These include carbon dioxide capture and conditioning as well as SAF production technologies, with the goal of advancing a scalable pathway from biomass to low-carbon fuels.

Southern said its flagship Louisiana project is designed to use regional wood-waste biomass to produce green methanol and carbon-negative sustainable aviation fuel at scale. The companies added that future collaboration opportunities in other regions may also be evaluated.

In parallel, Southern said it is developing an experimental digital token, “$SAF,” intended to serve as a data layer to track and visualize production output. According to the company, the concept would link token issuance and retirement to measured production data to improve traceability and provide additional insight into operational performance, without affecting how fuels are produced or sold.

The agreement builds on recent activity from Axens in advanced materials and process technologies. Earlier this year, Syensqo and Axens launched Argylium, a joint venture focused on scaling sulfide solid electrolyte materials for solid-state batteries. The initiative reportedly combines Syensqo’s materials development capabilities with Axens’ experience in process design and industrial scale-up.