Aviation industry produces around 2.1% of all human induced carbon dioxide emissions. Aviation is responsible for 12% of CO2 emissions from all transports sources comparing to 74% from road transport according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Aviation field is also taking effort to reduce aviation related carbon footprints with bio jet fuel. and it pursues 100% bio fuel for all flights across the world.
Introduction
The IATA (International Air Transport Association) considers bio-aviation-fuel to be one of the cornerstone pieces to the puzzle of reducing aviation-related carbon footprints.
Such sustainable aviation fuel(SAF) is an eco friendly solution and can be used to power aircraft of all varieties. UK’s Royal Air Force had a remarkable special flight without fossil fuel. Airbus is the first starter of the green flight with 100% bio jet fuel.
https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-technologies-office
Boeing is also taking such effort for sustainable aviation industry.
UK Royal Air Force’s first fight with 100% sustainable aviation fuel SAF
On 16 November 2022, there was a special flight in the UK by an RAF(Royal Air Force) Voyager. It was a the task of an Airbus A330 nicknamed Voyager, primarily used as a refueling aircraft or to transport British diplomats and government officials to other countries.
The plane was fueled with waste based fuels, such as recycled cooking oils. The RAF claims that these SAFs or Sustainable Aviation Fuels can theoretically help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by up to 80%.
The RAF is hoping that usage of such waste based fuels will propel it closer to be more self sufficient being less reliance on international supply chains. This special flight was the first of its kind to use 100% SAFs on an aircraft that is as big as the Airbus A330 Voyager.
According to Baroness Goldie, the British defence minister, through the RAF’s pioneering spirit expertise and partnership with UK industry, British science and engineering is leading the way in improving operational resilience and developing future operating capability in a climate change world.
It is a breakthrough moment for the RAF and an exciting development for the Ministry of Defence.
Airbus’ first flight with 100% bio jet fuel
On 31st March 2022, an Airbus A3800 passenger jet made a flight for the first time using 100% environmentally sustainable bio-aviation-fuel. The fuel was developed in conjunction with the DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. It is the first ever instance of the demonstration of performance of renewably sourced jet fuels.
Airbus have been on of the main pioneers in trying to reduce its aviation carbon footprint, so they have been also conducting test flight using its massive A380 jumbo jet (Airbus ZEROe Demonstrator) with SAFs, this flight representing the 3rd aircraft in the Airbus fleet to use such sustainable aviation fuel produced from cooking oils.
Airbus hopes to bring zero-emission aircraft into mainstream commercial production, and service by 2035.
Bio jet fuel’s sources and GREET model
This sustainable aviation fuel is produced from a wide variety of waste products generated by consumer/industrial consumption.
Such products that are used to produce SAF’s range from corn grain, algae oil seeds, municipal waste, forest industry residues, and used fats, oils or greases.
In the mid-1990s an open source platform called the GREET model was conceived by researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory to simulate the energy use and emissions of different fuel types and combinations.
It is used as a benchmark by all kinds of businesses, research facilities, and government entities to compare carbon intensities among renewable waste and processing technologies.
World biggest bio jet fuel producer US and Boeing
It’s widely known that the U.S.A is the biggest producer of biofuels worldwide, and as a result the production of sustainable aviation fuels could present a wonderful economic boon to the economy, creating more job opportunities to reinforce the tens of thousands already working in the sector.
It’s not just Airbus however who are pioneering SAF’s produced from simple cooking oils. Boeing have also dipped their toes into this same field way back in 2012, when one of their 787 Dreamliners used a mix of mainstream jet fuels and another fuel derived from cooking oils.
A biofuel production plant in China was also established in an attempt to maintain a regular source of the SAF based fuel. Boeing claims that they will be able to make their planes fly wholly on SAFs by the year 2030.
Closing
Humans tend to move out and go abroad. Aviation is a convenient mobility. Aviation industry, governments and bio fuel technology companies are co working to reduce carbon footprints for the sustainable environment.
Source: iea, iata, jointforces
