b'FUELINGTRK 45After it is blended with conventional jet fuel, the SAF is certified according to ASTM-D7566, a specific certification process for SAF, and then is recertified to ASTM-1655, the Jet A specification. Keith Sawyer, manager of alternative fuels for Avfuel, notes that the blended SAF must pass a strict safety and quality certification process before it can beKEITH SAWYERtransferred to individual delivery trucks. Since all the testing and certification of the final blended SAF is done at the blending terminal in Crockett, airport officials who buy it from us can be assured it is ready. They dont have to worry about doing all of this testing themselves, he says. Because the product is already blended for use in any standard jet aircraft, airports have no additional infrastructure costs to sell it, he adds. According to Sawyer, the demand for SAF is increasing. We have several Fortune 500 customers, and many of them want to reduce their carbon footprint on all their aircraft, he reports. The social contribution of using sustainable fuel is more valuable to them than paying the extra cost for using it. The Final StepAfter the fuel is certified as ready to go, it is distributed by tanker trucks to TRK. As of mid-September 2023, the airport had received TRK has a robust roster of corporate customers. Severalmultiple truckloads, usually with 7,500 gallons each. Brian Farrell, large charter companies, including NetJets and Executives Jets,operations manager for All State Tank Lines, describes the process frequently use the airport. Those operators have not complainedas fairly seamless. TRK places an order with Avfuel and it contacts about the higher price for SAF. In fact, they often market the usethe trucking companys dispatch team about the quantity of fuel of it to their customers. Their selling point is: When you fly withneeded, along with the delivery date and time, per the airports us, you are doing your part in improving the environment, sincerequest. We expect the demand to continue through the fall, we are reducing our carbon emissions, Menasco explains. perhaps as much as three or four loads per week, Farrell predicts. The process for loading SAF is slightly different from loading Securing Inventory standard Jet A. Once All State drivers arrive at the Crockett facility The fuel sold at TRK, manufactured by Neste, is made fromto load SAF for Avfuel, an on-site, third-party testing company sustainability sourced 100% renewable waste and raw materials.inspects the trailers to make sure all compartments are free of The main components include used cooking oils and renderedany aviation product. The inspector completes a pre-load test fats. After the fuel is manufactured at one of Nestes globalprocess, inspecting the terminals SAF filtration system, and refineries, it is shipped to a blending facility in Crockett, CA, inchecking for water and SAF content to make sure all regulations the East Bay section of San Francisco Bay. Thats where Nesteare met. The driver loads each compartment of his or her trailer, blends the concentrated SAF product with refined jet fuel, usuallyper legal weight and compartment capacity considerations. After at a ratio of 30% SAF and 70% Jet A. From there, Avfuel, thea 10-minute loading/settling period, the third-party tester releases main distributor of SAF to business aviation in North America,fuel from each compartment into separate containers to test the distributes the blended SAF to its customers.fuel before releasing the load for transport. Current regulations allow for up to a 50-50 blend of SAF with We haul petroleum products 24/7/365, says Farrell, noting conventional jet fuel, but Etnyre says the vast majority of SAFthat the companys trucks are equipped with special equipment currently blended in the United States is done at the 30%/70%to keep them rolling when snow and ice cover Interstate 80 east level. There are a variety of factors that influence this blend ratio,to Reno/Tahoe. Some of our trailers have cab-activated auto including the variability of the Jet A fuel source; price fluctuationschains, along with rain gear and other equipment. If the road is for blending a higher ratio of SAF; and early market acceptanceopen, we are operating.and adoption of SAF.We do face hour-of-service considerations for our drivers, When blended at this ratio, Avfuel estimates that SAF reducesdepending on the delays, he adds. When these types of delays 19 metric tons of carbon emissions per 7,500-gallon truckload.occur, we work with Avfuel and/or TRK directly to keep them Etnyre adds that every jet using the sustainable fuel purchasedinformed.at TRK reduces the airports carbon footprint by about 23%.AirportImprovement.comNovember | December 2023'