{
  "id": 12968995,
  "title": "China breakthrough projected to push sustainable jet fuel gross profit margin past 50%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/china-breakthrough-projected-to-push-sustainable-jet-fuel-gross-12968995",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T22:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3370144/china-breakthrough-projected-push-sustainable-jet-fuel-gross-profit-margin-past-50"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chinese scientists have created a catalyst that transforms synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel, potentially boosting production and meeting net-zero carbon goals. The catalyst, tested in a thousand-tonne pilot, showed high efficiency in synthesizing jet fuel from woody biomass-derived syngas and a cobalt-manganese catalyst. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimate a gross profit margin exceeding 50% for a 100,000-tonnes-per-year jet fuel plant. Sustainable aviation fuel, made from non-fossil fuel feedstocks like biomass, can reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional fuel. The aviation industry contributes about 2-3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and the International Civil Aviation Organization aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, sustainable fuel production is projected to reach only 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, or 0.8% of total jet fuel consumption. Scaling production is the main challenge, as sustainable aviation fuel is currently several times more expensive than conventional fuel. The Chinese researchers' new catalyst demonstrated a CO conversion rate of nearly 83% and jet-fuel range hydrocarbon selectivity of over 67%, overcoming the activity-selectivity trade-off. The team plans to build a 100,000-tonne annual capacity factory in Luzhou, Sichuan province, using biomass gasification-derived syngas as the feedstock before 2028. The plant could generate an estimated $302 million in annual sales revenue with annual operating costs of about $114 million, resulting in a gross profit margin of nearly 55%.",
  "summary": "Chinese researchers have developed a catalyst that converts synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel – a breakthrough that could boost production, help meet net-zero carbon goals and yield a gross profit margin exceeding 50 per cent. The team verified the efficacy of the chemical catalyst in a thousand-tonne pilot test and found that combining woody biomass-derived synthesis gas, or syngas, with…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China breakthrough projected to push sustainable jet fuel gross profit margin past 50%",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/china-breakthrough-projected-to-push-sustainable-jet-fuel-gross",
        "published": "2026-10-08T22:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}