A Circular SAF Platform Does Not Make Water Treatment Disappear: Fischer-Tropsch Effluent Risk and Recovered-Water Validation Requirements

This Cobeal Technical Intelligence Report evaluates water-quality obligations in sustainable aviation fuel production. It distinguishes Fischer-Tropsch reaction-water effluent risk from the separate validation burden that applies to recovered-water SAF systems. The report concludes that FT and ATJ pathways do not create the same syngas-derived nitrogen-contamination mechanism, but circular SAF systems must still prove water-quality control through source-water characterization, ammonia management, polishing performance, and specification-based validation. The report relies on public chemistry, public standards, patents, EPA guidance, and peer-reviewed literature, and does not disclose proprietary process architecture.