China scales up SAF production without vegetable oils with 100 thsd ton project

China has launched a project in Xinjiang to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide, with planned capacity of 100 thsd tons per year. Investment in the project, being developed by Dondel, is estimated at ¥11 bln.

The complex will include 2 GW of wind power capacity and a facility capable of producing 50 thsd tons of green hydrogen annually. It is also expected to capture and utilize around 400 thsd tons of CO₂ per year, converting it into aviation fuel.

The company describes the project as China’s first demonstration complex integrating renewable power, green hydrogen production, carbon capture and aviation fuel production within a single technological chain. The process is designed to achieve a negative carbon balance.

The technology is already being scaled up. In August 2026, the company completed an assessment of a 1 thsd ton pilot project in Sichuan Province, while commissioning began in September at a 10 thsd ton facility in Inner Mongolia. The Xinjiang project will mark the next step toward full industrial-scale production.

A key feature of the project is that SAF will be produced without relying on vegetable oils as the main feedstock, using green hydrogen and captured CO₂ instead. Wider adoption of such technologies could broaden the feedstock base for aviation fuel and reduce the sector’s dependence on conventional bio-based raw materials.

Tags: China, edible oils, SAF, sustainable aviation fuel, aviation fuel