Praj Industries has successfully demonstrated its Ethanol-to-Jet (EtJ) technology at its fully integrated Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) demonstration plant located at Praj Matrix, the company’s R&D centre. The achievement marks an important step toward making lower-carbon aviation fuels commercially viable.
The demonstration uses Axens’ Jetanol™ technology and confirms the readiness of Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) solutions as the aviation sector looks to cut emissions. The announcement was made at Wings India 2026, during a SAF roundtable attended by senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Praj’s SAF facility, which was earlier inaugurated by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, had already validated bio-isobutanol as a feedstock. With the latest trial, the plant has now also proven bio-ethanol as a viable input for SAF production. This strengthens Praj’s technology portfolio by offering greater feedstock flexibility.
Axens, a global provider of clean-fuel technologies and catalysts, has been a long-term partner in Praj’s SAF journey. Under this collaboration, Axens has licensed its Jetanol™ Alcohol-to-Jet technology, which covers critical processing stages such as dehydration, oligomerisation and hydrogenation, along with catalyst supply and technical support.
With this milestone, Praj says it has become the first company globally to offer a fully integrated, end-to-end engineering and technology solution for the AtJ pathway using both ethanol and isobutanol, validated at demonstration scale and ready for commercial deployment. The SAF produced meets ASTM D7566 standards and is fully compatible with existing aircraft engines and airport fuel systems.
Praj has already supported SAF adoption in India, including its role in the country’s first commercial passenger flight powered by SAF-blended aviation fuel, operated by AirAsia India on the Pune–Delhi route using fuel developed with Indian Oil.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr Pramod Chaudhari, Founder Chairman of Praj Industries, said the company is focused on science-driven solutions to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, while also strengthening energy security. He added that Praj’s integrated SAF platform can be deployed through retrofits to existing facilities as well as new greenfield projects, enabling oil companies and ethanol producers to scale SAF production in line with emerging mandates.
Quentin Debuisschert, CEO and Chairman of Axens, said the successful EtJ demonstration is a major step toward global SAF adoption. He noted that combining Axens’ proven process technologies with Praj’s engineering and execution strengths offers producers a scalable and lower-risk pathway to SAF production.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is increasingly seen as one of the most effective tools for reducing aviation’s lifecycle emissions. According to IATA’s Net Zero Roadmaps, global SAF demand could reach around 500 million tonnes (about 600 billion litres) in the coming decades. SAF also plays a key role in global carbon-reduction frameworks such as CORSIA.
Industry collaboration in India is gaining momentum through a memorandum of understanding between Praj Industries, IATA and ISMA, aimed at speeding up SAF certification and adoption. This includes developing a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for SAF produced from Indian sugarcane-based ethanol using the EtJ route.
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist, said large-scale SAF adoption will depend on clear policies, reliable feedstock availability and faster technology deployment, along with close cooperation across the value chain.
Deepak Ballani, Director General of ISMA, said India has strong potential to emerge as a major SAF producer, especially through the Alcohol-to-Jet pathway. Citing the ISMA–Deloitte SAF roadmap, he noted that the sugar sector alone could produce 3.5–4 billion litres of SAF annually from first-generation ethanol, contributing to a national potential of 16–19 billion litres by 2040.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking recently at the IATA Annual General Meeting, highlighted India’s status as the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reforms, sustainability and policy support for aviation growth. With technology readiness and policy momentum coming together, Praj’s EtJ validation is expected to play a key role in accelerating SAF adoption in India and beyond.
