JAL Backs Domestic SAF Initiative with Investment in MORISORA Bio Refinery LLC

The company is a major airliner that is dedicated to Woody Biomass Sustainable Aviation Fuel, a big move towards decarbonizing the aviation industry.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel has become an important impetus in recent years, and recently, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. announced that it has invested in MORISORA Bio Refinery LLC. This business move makes one of the prime airlines in the country a major contributor to the formation of a supply chain of pure domestic SAF made of woody biomass bioethanol.

A Joint Venture Focused on Domestic Resources

MORISORA Bio Refinery LLC was founded in July 2025 by industry leaders Sumitomo Corporation, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. and Green Earth Institute Inc. (GEI). The   company is leading “Project MORISORA,” a large project to build an integrated system for commercially producing bioethanol and biochemical products using woody biomass resources available locally such as wood leftover during wood processing in the Tohoku region.

JAL's investment supports the viability and demand for this local supply chain as an airline and possible SAF customer. The airline showed its long-term commitment to reducing carbon emissions in air travel by formally joining Project MORISORA in March 2025. For over a decade, the airline has been a strong advocate for biofuels.

Demonstration Plant Construction Underway

Project MORISORA's primary goal is to build a demonstration plant inside Nippon Paper's Iwanuma factory in Miyagi Prefecture. Construction was officially started at the site on October 3, 2025, with a traditional groundbreaking ceremony known as a Jichin-sai.

• Technology: The facility will make use of GEI's state-of-the-art, cost-effective, and low-carbon bioethanol production technology.
• Timeline: The completion of the demonstration plant is anticipated in fiscal year 2026.
• Production Goal: It is projected that operations will begin in 2027, with an initial production goal of over 1,000 kiloliters of bioethanol annually.

An important feedstock that can be converted into airplane SAF is bioethanol. The project is intended to produce biochemicals in addition to biofuel in order to broaden the product line and ensure the efficient use of the woody biomass.

Scaling Up for the Future

Though the demonstration plant is where the action will first happen, this is an even bigger game long term. The partners aim to have a full-scale commercial facility operating by 2030. This bigger plant is planned to open around the same time that the expected increase in SAF use would take place, where tens of thousands of kiloliters of bioethanol and other biochemical products are made each year.

The locally procured wood chips are the lifeblood that sustains the project. This concept greatly decreases the CO2 emissions resulting from raw material transports. The new production will also draw on carbon-neutral energy derived from lignin, a substance found in the wood, to reduce the need for fossil-fuel based energy.

Contribution to Decarbonization and Regional Growth

JAL and MORISORA Bio Refinery stress that the effects of Project MORISORA go beyond aviation fuel. The program is a three-pronged endeavor designed to:

• Encourage regional revitalization in the Tohoku area by employing local forest resources and starting a new domestic enterprise.
• Utilize wood processing leftovers, encourage sustainable forest management, and investigate the efficient use of fermentation and bio-generated byproducts to ensure a sustainable future.

The participation of a leading airline in a domestic wood-based SAF project shows the strength of dedication to innovation and sustainable long-term operations, at a time when the aviation industry is under increasing pressure to meet global emission reduction targets. Project MORISORA will be a big test for Japan's own biofuel production down the road.