The Fuel for Thought Podcast

The landscape of renewable fuels has changed significantly since we wrapped up season four. But one thing remains the same: renewable fuels continue to power ahead. Mikala and Sylvain are joined by their Topsoe colleague, Milica Folic, for a discussion of the main developments across the industry within the past year. They will cover the currently dominating fuel types and feedstocks, the most rec...

Bill Gates established Breakthrough Energy in 2015 with the aim of funding technologies that can accelerate the clean energy transition and build a net-zero emissions future. Sylvain is joined by Mariano Berkenwald, Senior Associate at Breakthrough Energy, to discuss which efforts are needed to accelerate the deployment of at-scale production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). They touch upon the...

Jet engine producer, GE Aerospace, is supporting net-zero emissions in aviation by exploring disruptive designs for future engines. At the same time, they consider SAF an important measure for decarbonizing today, and are pushing for a standard that allows an increase in blend levels from 50% to 100%. Jeff Shaknaitis, Customer Sustainability Leader, and Brice Dally, Senior Staff Engineer for Susta...

With an ambitious goal of 45% emissions reduction by 2030, Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian) is working on a wide range of actions to become a more sustainable airline. Joined by Anders Fagernæs, Vice President of Sustainability at Norwegian, Sylvain Verdier takes a closer look at the various efforts the airline is working on to achieve this target. Together, they cover the entire palette of susta...

Maritime transport is the last to start its decarbonization transition. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and some key industry players are paving the way to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But which fuels could be used to do so, when both the road and aviation segments are also on the same journey?   In this episode, Sylvain will be talking to Anders Erlandson from the Techni...

In the episode 4 we started the conversation about Fit for 55 – what are the goals and philosophy behind the legislation.   In this episode, Sylvain continues this conversation with Adriana Guerenabarrena from Hydrogen Denmark and Ian Moore from Advisian. They will deep-dive into the future role of biofuels, eFuels and what these initiatives will mean for road transport, aviation, marine and also...

On July 14, 2021, the European Commission launched its largest regulatory initiative as part of the Green Deal: The Fit for 55 package. Some called it a seismic change. The proposed directives will basically affect the way Europe deal with energy, resources and transport until 2050. Since then, the RePowerEU program was also announced, and this adds another layer of complexity. The intricacy of al...

European refineries are under pressure to decrease their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to produce high amounts of renewable fuels for transport and as feed for the PetChem sector. This is not a trivial challenge. But some refineries have implemented ambitious sustainability strategies in order to answer this call.    In this episode, Sylvain talks to Michael Kraussler and Ventsislav Mishev fr...

North America have recently seen the implementation of highly ambitious initiatives to support the production of renewable fuels, especially for the road and aviation sectors. The Inflation Reduction Act, the potential change of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in California and the Canadian Clean Fuel Regulations are game changers for renewable fuels.    In this episode, Sylvain talks to Tammy...

Welcome to season four of The Fuel for Thought Podcast.   Since the last season the global renewable fuel industry has seen a surge in projects and Mikala and Sylvain are kicking off the new season with a discussion of what changes the industry has been through, and where it is headed.   In this episode, they will share their thoughts on the current trends in the global renewable fuel market, touc...

Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (especially HEFA-SPK) is done at industrial scale but what does it take to do so?    In this episode, Sylvain talks to Jonathan Wood from Neste about their strategy within SAF production and they address a lot of topics ranging from feedstock to logistics, sustainability, the current legislative initiatives across the globe or even new types of SAF.     Let...

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been one of the top priorities of the aviation industry for a couple of years now - from airlines to fuel producers. But many myths are out there and may confuse some.    In this episode, Sylvain talks to Oskar Meijerink from SkyNRG about eight popular myths about Sustainable Aviation Fuel – are they true or false? They will discuss topics such as “Is SAF sustai...

Welcome to the first episode of the SAF Specials podcast series – part of our Flight Plan Green initiative to help decarbonize the aviation industry.  Sylvain Verdier, Senior Business Strategy Manager at Topsoe will be talking to Lars W. Andersen from Scandinavian Airlines Systems and Marie Louise Hansen from Copenhagen Airport to understand what they think of SAF. They will enlighten us about inf...

The shipping industry is entering the decarbonization journey at full speed. Green fuels, blue fuels, biofuels…. where will the world take them? Several initiatives are currently in place at International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EU level, but will those be sufficient to drive the change needed?  These are some of the questions we discuss with decarbonization experts Torben Nørgaard and Mic...

As renewable fuel demand will increase significantly in the coming decades and sustainability criteria are getting more stringent, certification is becoming an even more important factor for the whole renewable fuel supply chain. In this episode, Sylvain welcomes Elena Schmidt from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), and Sascha Wüstenhöfer from International Sustainability and Carbon...

It’s no secret that when it comes to biofuel, feedstocks are worth their weight in gold - or more - and have the potential to become even more valuable as new legislation prioritizes increased renewable fuel production.    In this episode, Sylvain discusses the feedstock market’s present conditions and future possibilities with Maryro Mendez from Vitol, covering everything from 1st-generation feed...

With the onset of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive Recast – RED II - European lawmakers are setting ambitious targets for renewable-fuel production...but can ambition be matched by capability?    In this episode, Mikala interviews our own Sylvain Verdier, and Ian Moore, Technical Director – Low Carbon at Advisian, to help foster a better understanding of RED II’s purpose and objectives, and the...

The question of how to enable more sustainable air travel has long involved the challenge of SAF production. However, now everything seems to come together: feedstocks, technologies, and legislation.  In this episode, Sylvain talks to Oskar Meijerink from SkyNRG, about the current state - and future - of sustainable aviation fuel, with insight from a legislative and technological perspective. They...

Since the last season of The Fuel for Thought Podcast, the global renewable fuel industry has seen a surge in projects and interest in sustainable aviation fuel. Mikala and Sylvain are kicking off the new season with a discussion of what changes the industry has been through, and where it is headed.   In this episode, they will share their thoughts on the current trends in the global renewable fue...

New technological developments are serving up new possibilities with pyrolysis, but a number of challenges regarding upscaling, unit placing, and the transportation and storage of feedstock remain. Which refineries could benefit from implementing pyrolysis technology – and how? Once again, Topsoe’s Sylvain hosts David Dayton, a Senior Fellow at the American non-profit, RTI International (The Resea...

Pyrolysis is a mature technology, but it hasn’t always been viewed as a genuinely viable option in the world of renewables. Now, technological improvements are rapidly establishing pyrolysis as a key technology for upgrading low-value waste to high-value biofuels. Topsoe’s Sylvain hosts David Dayton, a senior fellow at the major American non-profit, RTI International (The Research Triangle Institu...

Pre-treatment of oils and fats is an established technology with several units up and running. But how does pre-treatment work? What does it take to implement the technology in a biofuels production, and how does the financial ballpark figures look?  Topsoe’s Sylvain hosts Global Commercial Director at Crown Iron Works, Bill Morphew and Market Unit Manager for Oils and Fats at Alpha Laval, William...

Around the world, hydrogen is named as one of the keys to achieving ambitious goals in the green transition. However, hydrogen is not just hydrogen, it can be grey, blue, renewable and green. But concerns regarding profitability and effectiveness of the new technologies still linger.  Sylvain from Topsoe hosts Product Line Director at Topsoe, Sandra Winter-Madsen. They discuss the future of hydrog...

Refineries setting out to transit their operations to renewables face several legislative, technical, and business-related barriers. At Preem, Sweden’s largest refinery, they have found their own ways of solving the puzzle. Topsoe’s Sylvain hosts Business Developer Åsa Håkansson and Development Engineer Eva Lind Grennfelt from Preem who provide you with an insight into their renewable journey. Lea...

Sylvain and Mikala, your host and co-host from Topsoe, are back with season two of The Fuel for Thought Podcast. They discuss what is happening in the world of renewables, including The European Green Deal and new legislation in North America which have set up significant new standards for refinery emissions. All the while, new feedstocks are emerging, and technologies are being increasingly impro...