Decarbonising the future of aviation with sustainable fuel

SAF will dictate the future of aviation as the industry gradually reduces its reliance on fossil fuels.

Aviation is one of the most daunting sectors to decarbonise. Chances are high that airlines in 2050 will run on fuel recycled from the nearest plantation or the garbage in your backyard. With IATA aiming for the mid-century mark, the aviation industry will be compelled to reach unprecedented levels of commitment and innovation. Yet, the commitment may not seem that unachievable, as Virgin Atlantic’s first flight on biofuels in 2008 propelled over 370,000 flights to take to the skies, fueling the momentum to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The aviation industry must reduce its CO2 emissions, which account for approximately 12% of all transport-induced emissions. As the race to become more carbon-neutral heats up, the envelope of heightened innovation has been pushed to its apex in recent years, with huge strides made by aviation companies to make their flights more cost-effective and sustainable, leading to the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels, particularly biofuels.

The transition to biofuels not only helps achieve the far-fetched target of being carbon-neutral, but reduces dependence from fossil fuels, which have in the recent past faced prolonged bottlenecks in its supply given that the current events in Europe. As a result, a concerted effort is being made to develop practical applications for sustainable fuel. The recent willingness of aviation firms to adopt sustainable fuel can be seen as more and more firms, such as Boeing, American Airlines, KLM, and Nippon Airways, among others, are working towards having their airlines run on SAF.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has stated unequivocally that sustainable aviation fuels will be the only way to achieve carbon neutrality until 2050. Perhaps, his projection is based on the fact that the number of annual passengers will increase by 6.9 billion by 2035, and aviation companies will need to rely heavily on biofuel production to meet these demands. The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 used a blend of coconut and babassu oil, other biofuels are essentially biomass-derived fuels derived from plants such as Jatropha, tallows, algae, palm oil, waste oils, camelina, and other fuels such as solid biomass.

Apart from these fuels, SAF is a blend of traditional aviation fuel (JET-A1) and biojet fuel derived from waste and residue from the circular economy (animal fat, used cooking oil, etc.). When compared to the fossil equivalent, biojet fuel has similar properties to JET-A1 and emits up to 90% less CO2 over its lifecycle.  Other flights that have used alternative fuels include Virgin Atlantic’s use of alcohol-to-jet fuel and British Airways’ attempt to convert household waste into jet fuel. But, aside from the technical and mechanical compatibility targets that airlines must set in order to adopt SAF, the question of whether it can be used for long-haul flights remains.

Air France-KLM tested the first long-distance flight from Paris to Montreal using fuel derived from French plants. The use of sustainable aviation fuel on long-haul flights has yet to be seen, with Qantas stating its intention to use a 50/50 blend based on non-food plant oils for its Los Angeles-Australia flights. Within India, Spicejet, a low-cost carrier, began using a blend of air turbine fuel and biofuel derived from the jatropha crop on its Dehradun-Delhi flight last year.

We might see more flights achieving such feats in the current decade, as Airbus followed suit, with its first aircraft using un-blended fuel primarily consisting of cooking oil. The aviation industry is accelerating its adoption of green fuel technologies, according to a recent KPMG report. While EU airport regulators aim for a 2% adoption of SAF by 2025, countries such as Norway, France, and Sweden have already mandated their airports, with the UK and US expected to follow suit. In order to see flights with SAF on a regular basis in the future, collaboration and commitment is required not only from the industry players but also from governments.

-Anupama Sughosh, ET-Edge

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Times – ET Edge Insights, its management, or its members

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET Edge Insights, its management, or its members

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