Todays Latest Updates: 29 June 2026

Biojet/SAF: The Netherlands. Sasol and Danish technology group Topsoe will “wind down” their Zaffra sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) joint venture (JV) just three years after its formation. The companies said the decision followed a strategic review and that they would instead commercialise their combined technologies through an existing licensing alliance established in 2019. Set up in 2023, the Dutch JV promised to accelerate the deployment of SAFs – including green hydrogen-derived fuels – by combining Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch expertise with Topsoe’s clean fuel technologies. The companies said future collaboration would centre on their Single Point Licensor framework, under which six technology licences. Link 29/06/2026.

Biomaterials: United Kingdom. Celtic Renewables is one of the new biobased companies operating out of the Grangemouth industrial complex on the Forth of Firth, traditionally a key transport and processing hub for North Sea oil. The company specialises in making biobased solvents: acetone, butanol in particular. These are chemical cogs of global industry, with sectors as disparate as pharma and food dependent on solvents to manufacture their wares. Celtic Renewables’ value proposition is that it can make them cheaply and effectively from plants instead. At its Grangemouth biorefinery – Scotland’s first – the company takes low-value, locally sourced waste like rejected potatoes into high value chemicals, including for the cosmetic and medical industries. Link 29/06/2026.

E-fuels: China. Electrocatalytic hydrogenation offers a promising way to upgrade lignin under mild conditions using electricity instead of high-pressure hydrogen gas. This approach is attractive because it can be coupled with renewable electricity and provides precise control over the reaction process. However, a major challenge remains: during electrochemical reactions, active hydrogen species are often consumed by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, producing H2 gas rather than participating in lignin conversion. This lowers energy efficiency and limits product formation. Link 29/06/2026.

Technology Development: India. India is executing a massive, strategic push to develop its own electrotech and electronics manufacturing industries. According to reports from the World Economic Forum and industrial data, India's electronics sector has exploded six-fold over the last decade, reaching $130 billion. Moving rapidly beyond simple product assembly, the country is aggressively localising high-value upstream electrotech components—such as semiconductors, advanced EV batteries, and solar cells. Link 29/06/2026.