Advanced BioFuels USA

by Jack Wittels (Bloomberg Green)  …Last year, even with Covid-19 travel restrictions, more than 1.5 billion barrels of aviation fuel were burned, a figure set to more than triple by 2050 as more people take to the skies. Today, that fuel is almost exclusively petroleum-based, but the airline industry is backing a potential solution that means we can all travel without “flying shame.” It’s called sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF for short. Right now though, it’s extremely expensive and there isn’t enough being used to make any meaningful impact on emissions.

1. What is SAF?

There are two main types:

• BIOFUEL: This is fuel made from either biomass materials (such as plants or wood), or waste and residue products (such as used cooking oil and animal fat). It can be made through a process known as the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids, or HEFA approach, which is likely to be the basis of most SAF production this decade. While some biofuels are controversial because of concerns about deforestation and competition with food crops, the switch to SAF will not require large amounts of land or impact food or water use, according to the Air Transport Action Group, which represents the aviation industry.
• SYNTHETIC FUEL: This is a clean, engineered version of today’s crude-oil based hydrocarbons. They’re made by combining carbon with green hydrogen — which is hydrogen fuel created with renewable energy — to create a new fuel. Production of SAF using this technology does not yet exist at scale.

2. How is it used?

Once SAF is made — both the bio-based and synthetic kind — it can be mixed with oil-based jet fuel and safely used in today’s planes with a blend ratio limit of up to 50%, set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, a standard-setting body. Planemaker Boeing Co. aims to certify its aircraft to fly on 100% SAF by 2030. 

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3. How much carbon can it really cut?

Using SAF could dramatically reduce emissions, though by precisely how much depends on blend ratios and how it’s made. Finland’s Neste Oyj has invested in plants in Europe and Asia to produce bio-based jet fuel and diesel. The company estimates that, in neat form, its SAF cuts lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions — which take into account the fuel’s production, as well as its consumption — by up to 80%. Synthetic SAF can be CO2 neutral. 

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7. What’s the target to clean up flying?

Before the pandemic hit, CO2 emisions from aviation were about 2.4% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions — including land use change. With air passenger numbers set to recover and then surge in the years to come, that figure is all but certain to rise. The 2050 target of IATA could soon be upped to net-zero carbon emissions. ICAO also has a target of carbon neutral growth for international aviation from 2020.   READ MORE