King County, Washington, and Port of Seattle partner on waste-to-fuel study

King County, Washington, and the Port of Seattle have partnered to study the potential for converting municipal solid waste into renewable fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel for the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

According to the Port of Seattle, both agencies allocated $250,000 to pursue the technological and economic analysis by early 2023. The study will focus on the technological and economic factors for producing renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel in the region for transport to SEA.

“Municipal solid waste exists in high supply, and the airport needs significant amounts of sustainable fuel,” says Fred Felleman, Port of Seattle Commission president. “Previous analysis for the port by Washington State University identified municipal solid waste as the most promising potential source of a locally produced, sustainable fuel. No matter what the study shows, just beginning this work with King County moves us closer to the economic and environmental benefits of becoming a zero-carbon port.”

To meet its Century Agenda goals, the port seeks to ensure that 10 percent of the fuel used at SEA will come from sustainable sources found in the region by 2028.

As waste, composting and recycling dynamics change in the Puget Sound region, the port says this study can help the region find other uses for its waste stream while charting a course to significantly reduce emissions from aviation and other hard-to-decarbonize fuels. The port says this work will also help support the economic development of the clean energy sector in this region and could help meet the production volume thresholds required in the Washington Clean Fuel Standard.