Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Aviation
Developing more sustainable jet fuel is vitally important for the global aviation industry and for the Qantas Group. The environmental impacts and energy security issues associated with traditional fossil based jet fuel mean it is imperative that we push hard now for the commercialisation of alternative fuel sources. The environmental challenges of aviation can only be met if all stakeholders contribute to the effort.
Not all biofuels are created equal.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the name given to advanced jet turbine biofuel made from next generation biomass sources such as algae, municipal waste streams, waste tree oil and specially selected types of biomass energy crops which do not compete with food crops.
To be acceptable for commercial use, SAF must:
- Be certified in accordance with the aviation industry's stringent safety and performance requirements
- Have a reduced lifecycle carbon emission compared to traditional fossil based jet fuel as well as meet comprehensive sustainability criteria
- Be a 'drop-in' alternative to traditional fossil based jet fuel to avoid costly redesign of engines, airframes or fuel delivery systems.
Australia has natural competitive advantages that could enable it to be a leading global supplier of Sustainable aviation fuel. These include some of the world's strongest sunlight factors and vast tracts of arid land.
Aviation Alternative Fuels Overview - Airbus
Relative to fossil fuels, sustainably produced biofuels result in a reduction in CO2 emissions across their life cycle. Carbon dioxide absorbed by plants during the growth of the biomass is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide produced when the fuel is burned in a combustion engine - which is simply returned to the atmosphere. This would allow the biofuel to be approximately carbon neutral over its life cycle. However, there are emissions produced during the production of biofuels, from the equipment needed to grow the crop, transport the raw goods, refine the fuel and so on. When these elements are accounted for, many biofuels are still expected to provide an anticipated reduction in overall CO2 lifecycle emissions of up to 80% compared to fossil fuels. Furthermore, biofuels contain fewer impurities (such as sulphur), which enables an even greater reduction in sulphur dioxide and soot emissions than present technology with traditional fossil based jet fuel has achieved.
Carbon Lifecycle diagram: Fossil Fuel | Carbon Lifecycle diagram: Sustainable Aviation Fuel |
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| At each stage in the production and distribution chain, carbon dioxide is emitted through energy use for extraction, transport, etc | Carbon dioxide will be reabsorbed as the next generation of biofuel feedstock is grown. |
Qantas and Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Qantas wants to be at the forefront of the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Australia to improve our environmental outcomes and energy security. The global emergence of cleaner energy technologies has the potential to drive growth and create jobs. This is important not just for Qantas, but for the Australian economy as a whole.
We are taking a 'portfolio' approach to SAFs, reviewing the most promising technologies globally and establishing partnerships with leading companies in the field. No single technology can meet all of the aviation industry's carbon reduction needs.
Drawing on the expertise of our partners, and working with important government and industry stakeholders, we aim to build the case for sustainable jet fuel production in Australia. In early 2012 we will operate Australia's first commercial SAF flight, illustrating the benefits of not only low-carbon jet fuel but also the challenges that must be overcome before it can be produced on a commercial scale.
Collaboration Partners
As part of a strategic drive to reduce carbon emissions, Qantas are investigated collaborative partnerships with a number of leading renewable energy companies.
These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Solena
Solena is working with many partners globally to develop bioenergy plants for the production of sustainable fuels and biopower. Headquartered in Washington DC, the core of Solena's solution is its patented Solena Plasma Gasification technology, which is capable of producing a synthetic fuel gas ("BioSynGas") from the thermal conversion of virtually any type of hydrocarbon into energy and fuel. The Biosyngas is then converted using a mature conversion process called Fischer Tropsch into aviation jet fuel. Fischer Tropsch fuels have already been certified for use in commercial flights by aviation's global standards body.
Potential sources of sustainable energy include household, commercial, industrial and food industry waste as well as agricultural and forestry residues.
Solazyme
Solazyme is an industrial biotechnology company producing renewable oils and bioproducts using microalgae. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in South San Francisco, Solazyme's technology allows algae to produce oil and biomaterials in standard fermentation facilities at large scale. Solazyme's algal oil is refined into jet fuel through a further process known as 'hydrotreating'. Solazyme has already supplied the US Navy with significant quantities of fuel for testing.
Solazyme's oils and biomaterials can also used as replacements in a diverse range of additional products running from chemicals to cosmetics and healthy foods.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG)
Qantas is working hard to accelerate the development and commercialisation of alternative fuels that are more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable than finite fossil fuels.
Qantas is a signatory member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), a global group of leading airlines and aviation companies working together with scientific agencies and leading environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) to accelerate the commercialisation of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
SAFUG members have pledged that any Sustainable Aviation Fuel will in summary:
- Perform as well as, or better than, traditional fossil fuel jet kerosene from a technical perspective but with a smaller carbon lifecycle;
- Use only biomass feedstock sources that minimise biodiversity impacts, require minimal land, water, and energy to produce;
- Not compromise food security;
- Not jeopardise drinking water supplies; and
- Provide socioeconomic value to local communities where biomass is grown.
World-first Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap Study for Australia and New Zealand
To accelerate the commercialisation of SAF, Qantas worked with aviation stakeholders on a SAF Industry Roadmap study relevant to Australia and New Zealand titled Flight Path to Sustainable Aviation with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's peak scientific agency.
The SAF Industry Roadmap built on international developments, but focussed on the unique advantages and challenges of our region. Specifically, it looked at addressing barriers to a commercial and scalable SAF industry by bringing together stakeholders from aviation, science, traditional transport fuel supply, finance, government and environmental NGOs.
The CSIRO Flight Path to Sustainable Aviation Report, released in 2011, makes a compelling case for an Australian and New Zealand bio-derived jet fuel industry that could create numerous significant benefits over the next 20 years including:
- Economic value - Reduce Australia's reliance on fuel imports by over A$2 billion per annum and create an new clean energy industry that could export to the world;
- Social value - Generate more than 12,000 clean energy jobs, especially in regional Australia and improve Australia's energy security; and
- Environmental value - Decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent in the Australian aviation sector.
Growing a viable SAF industry
Many of the technical hurdles facing the aviation industry in its move towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel have now been overcome and much of this work has been achieved within the industry. Now, commercialisation and scaling up of the supply of sustainable aviation fuel is the most important task which will requires support from all stakeholders, including government and finance sectors. We must work together on this journey.
This effort should focus on:
- Research and development - Fostering research and development into new feedstock sources and refining processes;
- Business certainty - De-risking public and private investment in SAF;
- Unlocking opportunity - Overcoming barriers and provide incentives that enable and accelerate the commercialisation and scaling up of the SAF value chain;
- Sustainability - Encouraging stakeholders to commit to robust harmonised international sustainability criteria such as that of the Roundtable of Sustainable Biofuels;
- Collaboration - Establishing coalitions encompassing all parts of the SAF value chain; and
- Education - Building awareness and understanding of local cleaner energy growth opportunities
