(Deutsche Aircraft) Deutsche Aircraft, and Pratt & Whitney Canada, announce the conclusion of a series of five emission and contrail measurement flights on a D328® UpLift research aircraft using a fully synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuel, preparing for the use of future sustainable
contrails
Back TO HOMEGulfstream Completes Emissions Testing of Sustainable Aviation Fuel with Zero Sulfur
(Aviation Pros) Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced its successful completion of ground emissions testing of 100% neat sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) containing zero sulfur on the all-new Gulfstream G700. Powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, the G700 ground emissions test was conducted
November 04, 2024 Read Full Article
Ultrafine Particles in Jet Fuel Emissions Responsible for Serious Health Problems, Finds Study
by Christopher Surgenor (GreenAir) ... The amount of UFPs emitted from flights depends strongly on the composition of the jet fuel and the study estimates that the use of 100% hydrotreated jet fuel with very low sulphur and aromatics can reduce
July 09, 2024 Read Full Article
Flight Tests Show Aircraft Reduced Contrails and Soot Emissions with 100% SAF
(Aerospace Testing International) Results from flight testing the use of 100% blends of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in commercial aircraft have shown a reduction in the amount of soot and contrails they emit compared to conventional Jet A-1 fuel. The Emission and
June 10, 2024 Read Full Article
Airline Contrail Index
(Blue-Lines) The first step to solving any problem is to acknowledge it exists. With the Airline Contrail Index, we track public contrail announcements to highlight airlines that set contrail reduction targets, participate in trials, help advance the science, or simply acknowledge
May 31, 2024 Read Full Article
Airlines Divide over New EU Rules on Monitoring and Reporting of Their Non-CO2 Emissions
by Christopher Surgenor (GreenAir) Global airline body IATA has called for “urgent action” on better understanding of the climate effects of non-CO2 emissions from aircraft at high altitudes, in particular cirrus cloud formation from persistent contrails. Scientists have long warned that
May 31, 2024 Read Full Article
Aerospace Industry to Collaborate on 100% SAF Compatibility as Virgin Releases Flight100 Results
by Christopher Surgenor (GreenAir) The International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG), a non-profit organisation of global aerospace companies created to collaborate on and share environmental solutions for the industry, has announced the formation of a working group to evaluate technical issues regarding
May 31, 2024 Read Full Article
Virgin Atlantic’s Flight100 Saved 95 Tonnes of CO2 and Demonstrated Environmental Benefits of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(Virgin Atlantic) “If enough SAF is made, we will fly it” -- • Headline Flight100 results pave the way for the use of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), proving it’s a safe drop-in replacement for fossil fuel The use of 100% SAF saved
May 08, 2024 Read Full Article
FAA Invests $27 Million on Research to Reduce Emissions and Noise
(Federal Aviation Administration) Research teams from universities nationwide are working on a variety of aviation environmental topics including sustainable aviation fuels, aircraft emissions, and noise impacts with support from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants. The FAA is awarding $27.2 million to
April 02, 2024 Read Full Article
RTX's Pratt & Whitney Collaborates with FAA to Study Non-CO2 Emissions under FAA ASCENT Program
(Pratt & Whitney) Tests will compare emissions from conventional Jet A and 100% SAF -- Pratt & Whitney, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will work together with Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), Aerodyne Research, Inc.,
March 28, 2024 Read Full Article
Experts Expand the Coverage of Greenhouse Gases in Travel Impact Model for Flight Emissions
(International Council on Clean Transportation) The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) announced a series of updates to the Travel Impact Model (TIM) that will more fully reflect the environmental impact of aviation and help people make more sustainable choices when planning air
February 27, 2024 Read Full Article
Airbus and TotalEnergies Sign a Strategic Partnership in Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(TotalEnergies) Airbus and TotalEnergies have signed a strategic partnership to meet the challenges of aviation decarbonization with sustainable aviation fuel. In line with the objective of achieving net carbon neutrality of aviation by 2050, this partnership aims to contribute to the reduction
February 22, 2024 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2023 Multi-Slide Guide to CleanJoule
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) CleanJoule has a proprietary process for manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable bio-polymer. The basic building block of these carbon negative products are biologically derived intermediates, which are manufactured by an innovative process. This has
December 20, 2023 Read Full Article
Assessment of Aviation Non-CO2 Climate Effects Warns of Trade-off Dangers
by Christopher Surgenor (GreenAir Online) A new assessment by a group of UK climate scientists into potential solutions to limit non-CO2 emissions produced by aircraft concludes there is no ‘silver bullet’ and concerted efforts and commitments are needed to better understand
December 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Groundbreaking Transatlantic Flight Using Greener Fuel Lands in the US
by Katy Austin (BBC) The first transatlantic flight by a large passenger plane powered only by alternative fuels has landed in the US. Operated by Virgin Atlantic, it flew from London's Heathrow to New York's JFK airport. Airlines see the flight, which is
November 28, 2023 Read Full Article
Boeing, NASA, United Airlines to Test SAF Benefits with Air-to-Air Flights
(Boeing) Boeing ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 737-10 for United Airlines, will fly on SAF, trailed by NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science Lab measuring non-CO2 emissions; - Studying how SAF can reduce soot and impact contrails; - Supported by FAA, GE Aerospace, German Aerospace Center (DLR),
October 13, 2023 Read Full Article
Using Sustainable Aviation Fuels Could Reduce Emissions by up to 80%, Scientists Find
by Jessica Marsh (University of Manchester) A team of scientists have completed tests to quantify the emissions from the combustion of sustainable aviation fuels, revealing a profound reduction when compared to regular jet fuel. Researchers from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science
October 13, 2023 Read Full Article
Alder SAF100 – Accelerating Development for Next Generation Sustainable Fuels
by Derek Vardon & Bruno Miller (Alder Fuels/Biofuels Digest) Today, we are providing a high-level technical analysis of what we are calling Alder SAF100, a new and 100% sustainable replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel. To demonstrate the viability of reaching that crucial
March 21, 2023 Read Full Article
Airbus’ Most Popular Aircraft Takes to the Skies with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(Airbus) This A321neo is the first Airbus single-aisle aircraft to test 100% SAF on both engines -- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a key element for the future reduction of air transportation’s carbon footprint, and Airbus is continuing its testing
March 16, 2023 Read Full Article
Aviation Biofuel Would Need Half of UK Agricultural Land, Report Says
by Danny Halpin (The Independent) The Royal Society said a portfolio of alternative fuels will be required to meet current passenger demand and achieve net zero. -- Replacing jet fuel with biomass would require the UK to give up 50% of
February 28, 2023 Read Full Article
Government Pledges to ‘Scale up’ Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production
by Ian Taylor (Travel Weekly) The Department for Transport (DFT) has promised a call for evidence on aviation sustainability and a second consultation on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), repeating a government pledge “to scale up” SAF production amid industry criticism that
February 16, 2023 Read Full Article
Airlines Unite with Tech Sector and Academia to Tackle Climate Challenge of Aviation Contrails
(Rocky Mountain Institute) The Contrail Impact Task Force is the first cross-sector forum to address the potential climate impact of contrails, the cirrus clouds that trail some aircraft. -- Five major airlines today announced that they have joined forces with academic,
December 26, 2022 Read Full Article
Urgent Government Action Needed to Meet 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel by 2030 Target
(Sustainable Aviation) • Policy support, in the form of a price support mechanism, is needed to deliver sufficient SAF facilities to meet this target through UK production; announced UK plants would only meet around half of the target New analysis shows that the
December 01, 2022 Read Full Article
DSV Becomes First Etihad Cargo Partner to Purchase SAF to Offset Carbon Emissions
(Zawya) Etihad's first NetZero transatlantic flight from Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi utilised SAF combined with SAF Book & Claim, demonstrating the potential to utilise current technology to achieve net-zero aviation; The NetZero flight, operated with Etihad's Boeing 787 "Greenliner"
December 01, 2022 Read Full Article
Delta and Other Firms Are Struggling to Meet Sky-High Climate Pledges
by Steven Mufson (Washington Post) Some corporations started out using their sustainability goals as a marketing tool, underestimating the challenges. Now they face charges of “greenwashing” and even litigation. -- Delta Air Lines has embraced one of the corporate world’s most
November 11, 2022 Read Full Article
$2 Million FAA Grant Supports Study of Sustainable Aviation Fuels at Missouri S&T
by Andrew Careaga (Missouri University of Science and Technology) The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded a $2.05 million grant to a Missouri S&T researcher to study how different types of sustainable aviation fuels could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
October 31, 2022 Read Full Article
First Etihad Airways Flight Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel as Part of Deal with ITOCHU and NESTE Departs Tokyo Narita
(Etihad Airways) Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The first Etihad Airways flight to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supplied by ITOCHU Corporation and NESTE took off from Tokyo Narita airport today. The pioneering flight, EY871 departed Tokyo Narita at 1500, was the
October 28, 2022 Read Full Article
ETIHAD Airways and World Energy Collaborate to Demonstrate the Future of Net-Zero Aviation with Zero Emissions Flight to COP27
(World Energy/CISION) Scheduled Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi service to fly via Sharm-El-Sheik delivering COP27 delegates with zero emissions; Operated on Etihad's Boeing 787 "Greenliner" the flight will leverage SAF Book & Claim systems in partnership with World Energy to
October 21, 2022 Read Full Article
SAF Demand Leads to Shortages, Prompting New Products, Partnerships
(Environment + Energy Leader) ... To meet demand in the face of limited supplies of these traditional SAF feedstocks, technology companies are competing to create new forms of SAF. Honeywell is the latest to announce a new technology for creation of
October 13, 2022 Read Full Article
PNNL Team Recognized with ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry
by Mary Ann Showalter (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) The American Chemical Society (ACS) has announced that development of a catalytic process and catalyst to create sustainable aviation fuel is receiving the 2023 ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry. The team named in the
September 30, 2022 Read Full Article
Aemetis Signs Agreement with Cathay Pacific to Supply 38 Million Gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(Aemetis) Fuel to be delivered to San Francisco International Airport -- Aemetis, Inc.(NASDAQ: AMTX), a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, announced today the volume of an offtake agreement that has been signed with Cathay Pacific Airways Limited
September 20, 2022 Read Full Article
Issue Brief | The Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Aviation (2019, revised 2022)
by Jeff Overton (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) This issue brief examines the impact the growth of air travel and freight will have on greenhouse gas emissions. Subsequent briefs will feature the aviation industry’s emission mitigation efforts and commitments to reduce
August 24, 2022 Read Full Article
Airbus to Take up the Hydrogen Contrail Characterisation Challenge
(Airbus) Airbus UpNext to perform hydrogen-powered flight with new flying testbed; Record-holding Perlan 2 pilots to fly glider with hydrogen combustion engine; Test campaign will study composition of hydrogen engine contrails Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, has revealed a
July 25, 2022 Read Full Article
Issue Brief | The Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Aviation (2019, revised 2022)
by Jeff Overton (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) This issue brief examines the impact the growth of air travel and freight will have on greenhouse gas emissions. Subsequent briefs will feature the aviation industry’s emission mitigation efforts and commitments to
July 22, 2022 Read Full Article
Sky’s the Limit as UK Sets out Strategy to Reach Net Zero Aviation and Deliver Guilt-Free Flying
(U.K. Department for Transport, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP) Jet Zero strategy commits UK domestic aviation to achieving net zero emissions by 2040, and for
July 20, 2022 Read Full Article
Opinion: Inconvenient Truths behind Sustainable Aviation Fuel
by Jim Harris (Bain & Co./Aviation Week) Governments are making commitments to incentivize sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—Europe, through February’s “Toulouse Declaration,” and the U.S., with the Biden administration’s aim to have enough SAF to meet 5-10% of jet fuel demand by
July 12, 2022 Read Full Article
Green Infrastructure Critical to Hydrogen Propulsion’s Success
by Chris Kjelgaard (AIN Online) Aerospace manufacturers agree that the ability to produce hydrogen in vast quantities using only renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind power will prove the most critical factor in the aviation industry’s effort to
July 11, 2022 Read Full Article
Regulate Jet Fuel’s Aromatics Content to Reduce Non-CO2 Impacts of Aviation, says Dutch Report
by Christopher Surgenor (GreenAir Online) Although research is ongoing, it is widely accepted aviation’s contribution to global warming goes well beyond that caused by carbon dioxide emissions alone. One of the main non-CO2 impacts is the net warming effect from the
April 29, 2022 Read Full Article
Aemetis and Finnair Sign SAF Agreement for 17.5M Gallons in $70M Deal
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) ... On Friday came news from California that Aemetis, Inc., a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, signed an offtake agreement with oneworld Alliance airline member Finnair for 17.5 million gallons of blended
March 28, 2022 Read Full Article
Strong Demand for Ethanol-Based Jet Fuel
by Larry Lee (Brownfield Ag News) The ethanol industry is working to expand further into the renewable jet fuel market. A panel of ethanol researchers and fuel producers told their colleagues and farmers the demand for sustainable aviation fuel or SAF is
February 24, 2022 Read Full Article
An Introduction to Sustainable Aviation Fuels -- Part 1 of a Series, "Sustainable Aviation Fuels: A Critical Emissions Mitigation Strategy Gaining Momentum"
by Jeff Overton (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) ... Aviation is a difficult sector to decarbonize. The enormous energy required to fly a heavy aircraft long distances takes an energy dense power source that liquid hydrocarbon fuel provides. Battery technology for
February 14, 2022 Read Full Article
Aemetis Signs Agreement with Japan Airlines to Supply 90 Million Gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
(Aemetis) Fuel to be delivered to San Francisco International Airport -- Aemetis, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMTX), a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, announced today that an offtake agreement has been signed with Japan Airlines (“JAL”) for 90 million gallons
February 10, 2022 Read Full Article
How Close Are Hydrogen Planes, Really?
by Sabri Ben-Achour (MarketPlace.org) ... These days, there are two ways one can use hydrogen to fly planes. First, you can burn it (on purpose). “You can run hydrogen through an existing engine,” said Mike McCurdy, a managing director with aviation consulting firm
December 01, 2021 Read Full Article
First Twin-Engine, 100 Percent SAF Test on Commercial Passenger Jet Shows Promise
by Thom Patterson (Flying Magazine) Airbus and Rolls-Royce report positive initial results using all-sustainable aviation fuel in an A350 with Trent XWB engines. -- For the first time, researchers are studying the effectiveness of burning 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
December 01, 2021 Read Full Article
Etihad to Mark Greenliner Anniversary with Sustainability Showcase Flight from London to Abu Dhabi
by Tony Harrington (GreenAir Online) Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will mark the second anniversary of its Greenliner programme with a dedicated sustainable flight from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi on October 23, showcasing a
October 27, 2021 Read Full Article
Decarbonizing Aviation: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaJet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Lanzajet says we are at an inflection point for the sustainable aviation industry. Why? How? What’s LanzJet’s role in it all? How are they driving innovation and accelerating deployment of SAF? What’s the status of
September 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Advances the Future of Sustainable Fuels in American Aviation
(White House) New Actions Aim to Produce Three Billion Gallons of Sustainable Fuel, Reduce Aviation Emissions by 20% by 2030, and Grow Good-Paying, Union Jobs -- Today (September 9, 2021), President Biden is taking steps to coordinate leadership and innovation across
September 10, 2021 Read Full Article
Hydrocarbon Fuels from Industrial Off Gas: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) LanzaTech’s Dr. Laurel Harmon shared this illuminating slide guide at the BETO Peer Review on jet and diesel fuel production from industrial waste gases, commercialization of ethanol-to-jet technology by building a standalone Alcohol-to-Jet pre-commercial demonstration
July 27, 2021 Read Full Article
NASA-DLR Study Finds Sustainable Aviation Fuel Can Reduce Contrails
(NASA/PR Newswire) Cleaner-burning jet fuels made from sustainable sources can produce 50%-70% fewer ice crystal contrails at cruising altitude, reducing aviation's impact on the environment, according to research conducted by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Ice crystal contrail formations can linger in
June 22, 2021 Read Full Article
Climate Change: Jet Fuel from Waste 'Dramatically Lowers' Emissions
by Matt McGrath (BBC) A new approach to making jet fuel from food waste has the potential to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying, scientists say. -- Currently, most of the food scraps that are used for energy around the
March 16, 2021 Read Full Article
New Legislation Sets Policy Menu for Sustainable Aviation Fuels
by Jeff Overton (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) As the aviation industry recovers from the severe contraction caused by the pandemic, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) will be essential to help the sector achieve a path to net-zero carbon emissions by
December 12, 2020 Read Full Article
Climate Scientists Take Their Closest Look Yet at the Warming Impact of Aviation Emissions
by Leto Sapunar (Inside Climate News) A new study reaffirms that contrail clouds produce more global warming than carbon dioxide from flights, a finding that could help reduce emissions from air travel. -- An international team of prominent scientists has published
September 22, 2020 Read Full Article
Comparison of Particle Number Emissions from In-Flight Aircraft Fueled with Jet A1, JP-5 and an Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel Blend
by Steven Tran, Anthony Brown and Jason S. Olfert (Energy Fuels) The aviation sector has begun to adopt alternative fuels in an effort to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce their impact on climate change. While many lab and
June 19, 2020 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: The Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Aviation -- Part 1 of a Series on Airlines and Climate Change
by Jeff Overton (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) This fact sheet begins a series on commercial aviation, by examining the impact the growth of air travel and freight will have on greenhouse gas emissions. The second installment will feature mitigation
October 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Use Reduces Aviation Emissions and Contrail Cirrus Climate Effects
by S. Himmelstein (Engineering 360) Aviation makes a significant contribution to anthropogenic climate forcing in the form of soot, aerosol and greenhouse gas emissions. Soot emissions are responsible for the formation of cirrus contrails composed of ice crystals that can trigger climate
February 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Impact of Biofuels on Contrail Warming
by Fabio Caiazzo, Akshat Agarwal, Raymond L Speth and Steven R H Barrett (Environmental Research Letters) Contrails and contrail-cirrus may be the largest source of radiative forcing (RF) attributable to aviation. Biomass-derived alternative jet fuels are a potentially major way to mitigate
January 25, 2018 Read Full Article
NASA and DLR Investigate the Impact of Aviation on the Climate - Joint Flight Tests on Alternative Fuel Emissions
(German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR)) Three weeks of research flights from Ramstein Air Base; NASA DC-8 and DLR A320 ATRA fly together; The focus is on particle emissions of alternative fuels and their influence on cloud formation from
January 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuels Could Reduce Contrail Formation, Research Finds
by Sean Broderick (AIN Online) Biofuels offer more than an alternative to hydrocarbons; they also reduce jet-engine particle emissions by as much as 70 percent, research by a NASA-led group suggests. Working with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research
December 26, 2017 Read Full Article
No Passports, More Turbulence and Standing Cabins – 18 Ways Flying Is Going to Change
by Natalie Paris (The Telegraph) ... Within 10 years ... Wider use of biofuels -- Biofuels could be the answer. Efforts to reduce pollution from aircraft have focused on the use of biofuels mixed with aviation kerosene, which
July 25, 2017 Read Full Article
DLR and Lufthansa Technik Investigate Biofuels in New Study
(DLR) In a large-scale test, DLR combustion researchers investigated the use of biofuels as well as blends of biofuels and kerosene in a real engine. Biofuels have the potential to improve the carbon footprint and to make air transport more
June 12, 2017 Read Full Article
Great Leaf Forward: The Top 10 Trends Driving the Canadian Advanced Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Although the bigger players — China, the US, Brazil and the EU take most of the headlines in the advanced bioeconomy, Canada is definitely “boxing above its weight class” these days, as the saying goes. In
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Skybound: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to Sustainable Aviation Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we hosted a webinar what is universally agreed to be the single largest new application of advanced industrial biotechnology — this is the Big Kahuna, or sustainable aviation fuel. Sustainability is critical to airlines, and
April 28, 2017 Read Full Article
Air Canada Takes off with Biofuels Tests
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Canada, Air Canada just revealed its participation in the Civil Aviation Alternate Fuel Contrail and Emissions Research project, a research project led by the National Research Council of Canada to test the environmental benefits
April 24, 2017 Read Full Article
NASA Begins Flight Research Campaign Using Alternate Jet Fuel
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) NASA researchers have begun a series of flights using the agency's DC-8 flying laboratory to study the effects of alternate biofuel on engine performance, emissions and aircraft-generated contrails at altitude. The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails