HCS, with Gevo, to produce sustainable aviation fuels and renewable chemicals in Germany

HCS Group, a leading international supplier of solutions for high-value hydrocarbon specialties, has signed a project memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop and  build a renewable hydrocarbon facility at HCS Group’s site located in Speyer, Germany, utilizing Gevo’s low-carbon alcohol to jet (ATJ) technology. 

The agreement anticipates a first project that is estimated to produce  approximately 60,000 tons of renewable hydrocarbons, advanced biofuels, and low carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at HCS Group’s Speyer site by the end of  2024. The HCS Group manufacturing center, operated by the Haltermann Carless  brand, is strategically located in the geographical center of Europe, at the Rhine river and in the vicinity of Frankfurt airport, offering excellent prerequisites for  supplying customers in Europe with SAF, certified under Europe’s Renewable Energy  Directive (EU REDII), and a portfolio of certified renewable drop-in fuels and  specialty chemicals. 

“This project, developed in technology partnership with Gevo, is a key element of  HCS Group’s strategy and our aspiration to be a perpetual pioneer in the area of  high-value hydrocarbons, while making a clear contribution to defossilisation and  the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a unique opportunity to enter the SAF market as the first commercial producer in Germany, building on our market  success with renewable hydrocarbons,” says Henrik Krüpper, chief executive  officer, HCS Group. “We are excited to enable our customers in the  aviation, premium fuels and personal care industries with bio-based solutions to  meet their sustainability goals. Using our existing infrastructure in Speyer including  our new hydrogenation plant allows us to minimize time-to-market, certification and  approval processes, and costs for this first-of-its-kind project.”  

“Gevo and HCS Group have a long-standing and productive relationship at supplying  products to service existing HCS Group customers with renewable chemicals and  high-octane products. Given that history, and the need for SAF in Europe, it made  strategic sense to develop a joint project in the EU. Gevo’s technology creates the  building blocks for making hydrocarbons. We will need to establish several suppliers  of our renewable building blocks, throughout EU, made from sugary agricultural  residues,” says Patrick R. Gruber, Gevo chief executive officer. 

“Gevo’s technology and business system for producing renewable  hydrocarbons for fuels, chemicals, and plastics can be a contributor to fight climate  change, get production off a fossil-based system and be at the forefront of future  use of residues and waste feedstocks under EU REDII Annex IX in Europe.”