US start-up Lydian has raised $43m to progress its green hydrogen-based synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) platform in a Series A funding round led by the Bill Gates-founded venture capital firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Launched in 2024, the company already operates a one-tonne pilot plant in Boston, and now plans to launch a 7,000 tonne-per-year demonstration facility in 2028.
Its first all-out commercial operation is targeted for 2030 and aims to produce 70,000 tonnes of SAF annually.
The company claims its pilot, which converts captured carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen into e-SAF using a modular production system, reduces plant capital costs by up to 50% and dramatically fast-tracks project development timelines.
The platform integrates the full power-to-liquids process into a standardised design intended to simplify deployment and improve operational flexibility.
It comes as SAF gains global traction and new production platforms increasingly emerge, targeting cheaper production to satisfy demand expected to step-up as the aviation sector pursues decarbonisation.
Professor Phil Longhurst of the UK’s Cranfield University told attendees at the British Compressed Gases Association conference in May, that SAF would likely dominate the sector’s immediate carbon reduction measures.
Developer Syntholene recently validated the geothermal integrated platform at its demonstration facility in Húsavík, Iceland, pursuing production at 70% lower cost than contemporary competing technologies.
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