Chile advances in the production of sustainable aviation fuel
Dr. César Sáez, UC academic and Director of CIEN-UC, was featured in El Mercurio’s report on the national strategy to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The newspaper El Mercurio published a report on the national strategy that aims to position Chile in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with the goal of installing the first production plant by 2030.
The initiative, led by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and the Civil Aeronautics Board (JAC), is part of the SAF Roadmap 2050, a plan that defines the technical and regulatory steps necessary for the country to join this emerging global energy industry.
The article highlights the participation of Dr. César Sáez, academic at the Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Director of the Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (CIEN-UC), who noted that during the 2024–2025 period, the plan is progressing in regulatory and technical aspects, a key stage for the future implementation of pilot plants in the country.
He also emphasized the creation of the first SAF Public-Private Agreement, established in 2024, aimed at coordinating and strengthening collaboration between companies, universities, and the State. This voluntary and renewable agreement seeks to consolidate a shared roadmap among the productive sector, academia, and public institutions, promoting technological development, knowledge transfer, and the reduction of carbon emissions in aviation.
CIEN-UC’s contribution
The Center for Research in Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (CIEN-UC) offers capabilities that can directly contribute to the national development of sustainable fuels, particularly in the fields of materials, catalysis, and surface analysis.
The center’s available techniques—such as field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD)—enable the characterization of catalytic materials, adsorbents, coatings, and intermediate products essential to SAF conversion and synthesis processes.
In addition to its analytical infrastructure, CIEN-UC promotes collaboration between academia and industry, supporting applied research projects, advanced human capital training, and initiatives that strengthen the transition toward a cleaner and more sustainable aviation sector.
