A renewable fuels company was selected to contribute to a high-visibility sustainability initiative for the Summer Olympics, producing synthetic jet fuel from agricultural waste for a ceremonial stadium flyover. Recognizing the technical complexity and accelerated timeline, the company partnered with Re:Build to engineer and fabricate a fully integrated pilot system capable of converting ethanol into jet-grade fuel using a proprietary Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) catalytic process. The project demanded aggressive timeline execution and strict compliance with Japanese mechanical and electrical standards for international shipment and installation, presenting significant engineering, fabrication, and regulatory challenges for deploying a turnkey chemical processing system abroad.
The Details
Industry
Energy & Environment
CAPABILITIES APPLIED
The project presented multiple interconnected technical, regulatory, and schedule challenges requiring coordinated process engineering and international compliance expertise:
Compressed Project Timeline: The Olympic demonstration imposed fixed, non-negotiable deadlines requiring rapid translation of proven laboratory chemistry into a field-deployable pilot system, demanding parallel engineering, fabrication, testing, and documentation workflows without compromising quality or safety standards.
International Code Compliance: The system required design and construction meeting Japanese industrial mechanical and electrical codes, necessitating familiarity with international standards, voltage and frequency specifications, documentation requirements, and certification protocols differing from U.S. norms.
High-Pressure Chemical Processing Requirements: The ATJ catalytic process operates under elevated pressures and temperatures, requiring pressure vessel design, high-pressure piping fabrication, and safety systems meeting both ASME standards and Japanese regulatory requirements for chemical processing equipment.
Proprietary Process Integration: Converting the client’s proven ATJ chemistry from bench-scale to pilot-scale operation required close collaboration to understand reaction kinetics, residence times, temperature profiles, and separation requirements while maintaining process confidentiality and intellectual property protection.
Turnkey System Integration: The project scope encompassed complete process design, mechanical fabrication, electrical and instrumentation integration, automation programming, factory testing, and export preparation, requiring seamless coordination across multiple engineering disciplines and fabrication trades.
Global Deployment Logistics: Shipping a complete chemical processing system internationally demanded careful packaging, export documentation, customs coordination, and installation planning to ensure the system arrived intact and could be commissioned successfully by the client’s team in Japan.
Re:Build delivered a fully integrated, export-ready ATJ pilot system that successfully produced synthetic jet fuel for the Olympic demonstration, validating the sustainable aviation fuel production pathway on a global platform.
The system incorporated a dozen ASME-certified pressure vessels and a distillation column engineered for the multi-step catalytic conversion process. High-pressure piping infrastructure was designed and fabricated to withstand process conditions while meeting Japanese mechanical codes. A fully automated control system using Rockwell PLCs coordinated valves, sensors, and instrumentation, enabling safe, repeatable operation of the chemical processing sequence.
All mechanical and electrical systems were designed, documented, and certified for compliance with Japanese industrial standards, including voltage specifications, wiring practices, and safety interlocks. Factory acceptance testing validated system performance and safety protocols before shipment, ensuring the client could commission the system successfully upon arrival in Japan.
The pilot system successfully converted ethanol derived from agricultural waste into jet-grade synthetic fuel, demonstrating the technical and economic viability of the ATJ process for sustainable aviation fuel production. The high-profile Olympic flyover showcased the technology to a global audience, generating commercial interest and momentum for further scale-up and commercialization efforts.
Re:Build’s turnkey approach, which encompassed process design, pressure vessel fabrication, high-pressure piping, automation integration, international compliance, and export preparation, and enabled the client to meet aggressive Olympic deadlines while establishing a validated SAF production pathway with significant commercial potential.
