Circularity Fuels Converts Dairy Farm Waste into Jet Fuel Components at One-Hundredth the Capital Cost of Conventional Methane Reformers

Startup’s electric conversion technology can unlock billions of dollars in annual revenue for farmers while cost-effectively meeting airlines’ SAF needs

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--Circularity Fuels today announced it has successfully converted biogas from a California Central Valley dairy farm into synthesis gas (syngas), a key precursor to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), using a compact electric processing unit one-hundredth the cost of conventional steam methane or autothermal reformers.

"We’re giving farmers the ability to turn waste into a profitable product that airlines desperately need."

The successful demonstration marks a major step toward transforming the economics of renewable fuel production, one that Circularity believes will help airlines meet mandates for sustainable fuel alternatives while unlocking billions of dollars in new revenue streams for farmers. America’s 20,000+ large livestock operations generate nearly a trillion pounds of manure each year, yet fewer than 6% of them capture the biogas that is produced as the waste decomposes.

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Circularity announced that its proprietary, electric-powered Ouro Reactor successfully processed raw biogas from a working dairy farm’s covered lagoon digester, converting methane and carbon dioxide that would typically be flared or vented into valuable fuel components. Unlike traditional gas-fired reformers that cost millions and require massive infrastructure, the Ouro Reactor uses modified automotive-industry components to achieve the same result at a fraction of the size and cost.

“Farmers in the U.S. and around the world are sitting on an untapped goldmine,” said Dr. Stephen Beaton, CEO and Founder of Circularity Fuels. “We’re giving them the ability to turn waste into a profitable product that airlines desperately need.”

Meeting Aviation’s Urgent Demand

The demonstration – the first to electrically reform farm raw biogas from a lagoon digester into a jet-fuel precursor without combustion – validates several critical innovations. The Ouro Reactor operates on standard electrical connections, uses industrially proven catalysts, and processes raw biogas without expensive pre-treatment. Importantly, it maintains stable operation despite the contaminants typically found in agricultural biogas that would damage conventional reformers.

The milestone comes as airlines face increasing mandates to incorporate SAF into their fuel mix, with current production meeting less than 1% of demand. The syngas produced by the Ouro Reactor can be converted into jet fuel using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, a proven industrial process that transforms carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons.

The lack of access to natural gas pipelines has prevented most agricultural biogas from being converted into renewable fuels. Circularity's Ouro Reactor helps solve this problem by slashing reforming costs from millions to tens of thousands of dollars, making the technology affordable enough to deploy directly at large farms. When paired with scaled-down Fischer-Tropsch systems, these distributed units can produce liquid fuel on-site that can be transported by truck or rail, eliminating the need for pipeline infrastructure entirely.

“For the first time, farmers will become renewable fuel producers without waiting for pipeline infrastructure that will never come,” Dr. Beaton said. “The liquid fuel can be trucked out using existing transportation networks, making energy production as straightforward as any other farm output.”

If deployed across all viable U.S. waste sites – including farms, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants – biogas-to-SAF technology could produce 42 million gallons per day, meeting 70% of the nation’s jet fuel demand.

Circularity Fuels will showcase the technology next month in London at the SAF Global Summit, where airlines and fuel producers gather to address the industry’s supply challenges. The company plans to demonstrate complete biogas-to-SAF production later this year at a California farm, with commercial deployment targeted for 2026 across farms in California and beyond.

About Circularity Fuels

Circularity is on a mission to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors by turning waste streams into valuable products, starting with converting agricultural biogas into sustainable aviation fuel. Founded by former U.S. Air Force Petroleum Office Deployed Lab Chief Dr. Stephen Beaton, the company emerged from DCVC’s entrepreneur-in-residence program. Its proprietary Ouro Reactor, based on modified automotive catalytic converter technology, achieves methane reforming at a fraction of the cost and scale of traditional industrial equipment. The company has secured $8 million in seed funding and grants from VC firms, the National Science Foundation, California Energy Commission, and others. To learn more, visit www.circularityfuels.com.