Tidbits, Q&A: SAF & Biofuel, Drought Comparison, FOB 9/22/25
- Wright team
- Sep 22
- 5 min read
Q&A: SAF & Biofuel
Question from a client:
"19 Sept 2025
Good morning, Roger,
Which is the best way to produce SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), corn, soybeans or crop residue?
Just a few miles away they keep talking about building a SAF plant that will use crop residue, bad idea in my opinion. This is not environmentally friendly or sustainable. Removing crop residue also removes nutrients of which you must replace, and that is just for starters, the negatives go on and on. My thoughts are that soybeans would be a great option. We have several ethanol plants around the area so a SAF soybean plant wouldn't affect those markets.
Also, this carbon sequestering thing just smells like a big scam to me. Since when is Co2 a poison? It is much needed for plant health, the more the better. Thoughts? Keep up the great work. Shawn."
Shawn, the answer to your question is determined by one’s definition of “best.”
A person who thinks carbon is a threat to life on the planet and there is a need for more human food production, that person will say crop residue is the “best” feedstock. The way the carbon footprint is calculated, most of the carbon released when growing corn and soybeans is charged to the grain and not the plant residue, which is classified as a “by product.” Considering corn and soybean residue does not make human food, but can make biofuel feedstock, such a person will always say crop residue is the “best” source of biofuel feedstock.
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