In the race to combat climate change, the aviation industry faces unique challenges. Enter CleanJoule, a pioneering company in the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sector, led by CEO Mukund Karanjikar. This article explores CleanJoule’s journey in revolutionizing the aviation fuel industry and its vision for a sustainable future.
The Genesis of CleanJoule
CleanJoule’s story begins with a chemical engineer’s passion for sustainability. As Karanjikar explains, “I was always driven by sustainability and impact of human operations on sustainability. Right? So it’s planetary sustainability, it’s life sustainability and the impact of human actions.”
The company’s mission is clear: to decarbonize the planet, starting with one of the hardest industries to transform – aviation. “We made our life’s mission to decarbonize the planet. Let’s start with aviation as an industry,” Karanjikar states.
The Challenge of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable aviation fuel represents a significant leap forward in reducing the carbon footprint of air travel. However, developing SAF that’s both effective and economically viable is no small feat. CleanJoule’s approach is unique: “What you want to do is you are already solving a very hard problem, which is can I make new type of hydrocarbons and compete with an extremely efficient industry called oil and gas because the planet is heating up and climate change is important.”
One of the key advantages of CleanJoule’s SAF is its compatibility with existing infrastructure. As Karanjikar points out, “You go to them and you say, I do not want you to change anything. Just buy a different barrel of the fuel. It’s fully infrastructure compatible end to end.”
The Journey to Commercialization
CleanJoule’s path to bringing SAF to market has been long and challenging. Karanjikar breaks down their progress: “Up to 2022 was rearview mirror period, where lot of toiling away, midnight oil burning, etcetera, solving all the technological problems. Then the engineering scale up is 2023 to 2025.”
Looking ahead, Karanjikar projects, “Come 2028, 2029, you will find at the corner station, the proverbial corner station, CleanJoule SAF for sale, that any airline can power it at any airport that they would want.”
Building an Ecosystem
The success of SAF doesn’t rely solely on CleanJoule. As Karanjikar explains, an entire ecosystem needs to evolve: “The regulators have some role to play. They have to move slightly faster as entrepreneurs are moving.” He also mentions the importance of the “liquids industry,” including oil and gas companies, pipeline companies, and refiners.
The Vision for the Future
CleanJoule’s ambitions extend beyond just creating a new fuel source. Karanjikar envisions a future where “we are after making aviation 100% sustainable.” This goal aligns with the aviation industry’s broader aims: “Our customers, which are the airlines, they are fixated on net zero by 2050 and we want to go at some point after that real zero, which is not net zero where we are seeking credits elsewhere.”
Moreover, CleanJoule sees potential for broader societal impact: “We are looking at lifting millions and millions of people around the planet who are on the rural side of the world out of poverty forever. Because sustainability has two components. It has the planetary sustainability and the economic sustainability you enable by using feedstocks that happen to be on the rural side of the world.”
As the aviation industry grapples with its environmental impact, companies like CleanJoule are paving the way for a more sustainable future. Through innovative technology and a long-term vision, they’re not just changing how planes fly – they’re reimagining the entire ecosystem of air travel and its impact on our planet.
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