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SAF Startup Aims High Via Methanol-To-Jet Fuel Demo Plant, SWISS Deal
Markets SAF Startup Aims High Via Methanol-To-Jet Fuel Demo Plant, SWISS Deal By Gaurav Sharma ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Gaurav Sharma is a London-based analyst who covers energy & ESG. Follow Author Aug 26, 2026, 10:12am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Sustainable aviation fuel startup Metafuels has unveiled its demonstration plant in Switzerland, showcasing its pioneering methanol-to-jet SAF technology, "Aerobrew" e-SAF. This marks a rapid progression towards commercialization, just months after partnering with SWISS International Airlines. Metafuels' process offers a more efficient pathway than traditional methods, claiming 50% lower production costs and 80% higher yields. It recently secured $24 million in Series A funding and a €1.92 million grant to advance its first commercial Turbe e-SAF plant in Rotterdam, The Netherlands targeting production by 2030.
Sustainable aviation fuel startup Metafuels - a pioneer of the world’s first methanol-to-jet SAF technology - has taken a step toward commercialization by unveiling its demonstration plant at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.
The company’s move comes a just a matter of months after it inked a strategic partnership with SWISS International Airlines , a leading carrier of the Lufthansa Group.
The plant, unveiled last week, for Metafuels’ trademarked "Aerobrew" e-SAF marks the company’s progression from concept to demonstration phase in just under four years at a pace that's pretty atypical in the industry.
The "e" prefix is based on a SAF manufacturing process that uses renewable energy. Firms producing or aiming to produce e-SAFs usually do so by deploying the Fischer-Tropsch process . It is a sequence of chemical reactions that converts a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, or synthetic gas, into liquid hydrocarbons.
However, Metafuels opted for an alternative synthetic fuel pathway known as methanol synthesis when it embarked on its journey in 2021. The company collaborated with PSI, Switzerland's largest research hub for natural and engineering sciences, and now the home of its demo plant.
The chosen pathway involves either producing methanol from carbon monoxide and hydrogen at high pressure using zinc oxide and copper as catalysts, or utilizing an existing sustainable methanol feedstock, and subsequently synthesizing a longer-chain hydrocarbon like jet fuel from methanol.
The process deploys additional steps and the use of a catalyst to produce the desired chemical reactions for Metafuels, CEO Saurabh Kapoor said in an interview.
"Four years ago we set out to convince the world that we have a lead on competitors on converting methanol to SAF selectively and efficiently, using our process. Our demo plant with a capacity of 50 liters [or just over 13 gallons] a day will serve as a vehicle to prove this to the world.
"Furthermore, we believe that if you put a Fischer-Tropsch project and our project on the same location, all other conditions being equal, the anticipated cost of production of our e-SAF will likely be around 50% lower and the yield around 80% higher. Few can deny these are huge numbers in terms of cost savings and efficiency gains."
The world’s first methanol-to-jet SAF technology demo plant now assumes the mantle of real-world testing for Metafuels on the road to commercialization.
The first commercial staging post for the company would be its Turbe e-SAF plant in the Port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, a major global energy and petrochemicals hub.
To support project development activities through to final investment decision ["or FID"], including front-end engineering and design [or “FEED”], planning and legal due diligence and commercial development, Metafuels raised $24 million in a Series A funding round in February.
The round was led by UVC Partners, in conjunction with Energy Impact Partners, Contrarian Ventures, RockCreek, Verve Ventures and Fortescue Ventures. In April, it also secured a €1.92 million ($2.25 million) grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to advance the Rotterdam site.
"Securing this funding and the Dutch grant represent a validation of our approach and technology for scaling e-SAF production, and the merits of the Turbe project," Kapoor said.
"The demo plant will help de-risk our commercial-scale units, generating the data and operational experience for Turbe. We are targeting production from 2030 taking it to market via the Port of Rotterdam, an ideal location to deliver large-scale synthetic fuel projects."
The FEED contract for the facility was awarded to global engineering, procurement and construction firm McDermott in December . Metafuels is also in early discussions for a plant in Denmark.
An enticing, albeit challenging market awaits. According to projections offered by the International Energy Agency and the International Air Transport Association, the potential market size of e-SAFs could well be in the range of 80-120 billion gallons by 2050.
Kapoor reckons it could be even bigger contingent upon market conditions and local factors impacting various aviation hubs.
"Only thing we can promise is that our Aerobrew can replace conventional jet fuel regardless of the size, type of aircraft, and short-haul or long-haul. Our ambition is to do single e-SAF production trains of up to 2,000 tons (around 670,000 gallons) a day, making our offering highly scalable."
Kapoor added that while his company remains in talks various airlines, an early collaboration with SWISS is both a milestone and an affirmation of the role that e-SAFs will play in the future of aviation.
The partnership presented Switzerland's flag carrier and one of European aviation's most recognizable brands an opportunity that it did not wish to miss, said SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger.
"As an airline, we are doing everything within our pow...
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