An opinion column in gasworld has argued that methanol-to-jet (MTJ) conversion can expand sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply past the feedstock ceiling now binding HEFA output.

The piece, headlined "How methanol-to-jet can help scale sustainable aviation fuel," appears under gasworld's dedicated SAF section — a placement that links the publisher's long-running coverage of methanol as a commodity chemical to the aviation-fuels conversation.

What is the column's core case?

Gasworld's industrial-gases readership is positioned as a strength of the argument. The column's case rests on the existing global methanol logistics network, which already moves the chemical at multi-million-tonne annual scale across shipping, storage, and merchant handling. Routing SAF through that backbone, the author frames, shortens the gap between mandated demand and certified supply.

Why publish this now?

The context is consequential. Nearly all certified SAF today comes from HEFA processing of waste oils and fats at plants operated by Neste in Singapore and Rotterdam, by World Energy in Paramount, California, and by a limited set of smaller producers. The waste-oil feed base has been widely cited in industry analyses as capped well below the volumes required to meet 2030 mandates.

Policy targets sharpen the demand case. ReFuelEU Aviation mandates a 6% SAF blend by 2030 and 70% by 2050. The U.S. SAF Grand Challenge targets 3 billion US gallons annually by 2030. Major operators including IAG, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have publicly committed to SAF offtake agreements while flagging feedstock price and availability as the binding constraints on execution.

Where does MTJ certification stand?

MTJ, as a synthetic pathway, sits inside the broader alcohol-to-jet family that has begun drawing demonstration investment. Twelve — Alphabet's carbon-conversion spin-off, previously known as JIGSAW — has explored CO₂-to-methanol routes, and Oxford University spin-out OXCCU has advanced a related iron-catalyst pathway. Both remain demonstration-scale. ASTM D7566 governs SAF certification, with currently approved MTJ-related annexes capping blend shares at the percentages certified to date — which constrains the route's near-term contribution.

The column lands ahead of the next major policy checkpoint — the upcoming ICAO stocktake and the associated CORSIA review — where second-wave pathway selection will shape airline and corporate offtake decisions through the rest of the decade. For fuel buyers and aviation sustainability teams tracking technology readiness, gasworld's piece adds another entry to a running trade debate also playing out across Aviation Week, Argus Media, and S&P Global Commodity Insights. The HEFA ceiling makes the question urgent; the answer resolves only when one or more second-wave technologies — MTJ among them — reach commercial volume and clear ASTM's higher-blend qualification.