HydGene Highlights Carbon-Negative Hydrogen at China-Australia SAF Forum

HydGene Renewables recently participated in the South Australian Sustainable Aviation (SASA) forum in Shanghai across 17th to 18th April, spotlighting hydrogen’s overlooked role in decarbonising Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The two-day forum—hosted by UniSA and funded by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations—brought together more than 70 stakeholders across aviation, government, academia, and cleantech to tackle the technical, policy, and market challenges of scaling SAF.

Speaking virtually at the event, HydGene’s CEO Dr Louise Brown presented “Reducing Carbon Intensity in SAF: Hydrogen from Biomass”, emphasising that not all SAFs are created equal.

The Hidden Variable in SAF: Hydrogen’s Carbon Footprint

As SAF gains traction globally as a drop-in decarbonisation solution for aviation, HydGene’s message was clear: the carbon intensity of the hydrogen input can significantly determine the climate benefit of the final fuel.

“A gallon of SAF may meet technical specs, but the carbon footprint can vary dramatically depending on how the hydrogen was produced,” said Louise.

She explained that hydrogen produced using fossil fuels or even renewable electrolysis still carries emissions burdens, whereas HydGene’s carbon-negative hydrogen -made from waste biomass using engineered biocatalysts -can slash or even reverse lifecycle emissions.

“We need to stop measuring progress in gallons of SAF and start measuring it in tonnes of CO₂e avoided.”

Flexible Hydrogen for a Global SAF Future

HydGene’s biocatalyst platform is modular and feedstock-flexible, able to generate green hydrogen from regionally available biomass such as crop residues, sludge, or waste sugars. This local adaptability strengthens SAF production pathways like Alcohol-to-Jet, HEFA, and Gasification by improving their upstream hydrogen inputs.

“A global SAF solution needs local flexibility,” Louise added. “Our platform enables hydrogen to be made on-site, on-demand, from whatever organic material a region can supply.”

As SAF producers and aviation stakeholders look to drive down emissions and meet evolving standards, HydGene’s technology offers a crucial enabler at the very beginning of the value chain.

Please reach out if you wish to learn more about how we can support your SAF production goals.