The aviation industry has long been criticized for its significant carbon footprint. However, as the world moves towards cleaner energy sources, the industry is taking steps to reduce its environmental impact. One of the most promising solutions is the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. To reduce carbon emissions, airlines have already undertaken some 450,000 flights using SAF as part of the fuel mix. The industry aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The Promise of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

SAF is produced by hydrotreating triglycerides, an established way of producing biodiesel for ground transport. The process combines the oxygen with hydrogen to yield water, liberating the hydrocarbon tails and turning the head into a molecule of propane. The tails can then be processed into drop-ins. At present, the biggest producer of hydrotreated SAF is Neste, a Finnish company.

Neste is expanding its biodiesel plant in Rotterdam for SAF production and enlarging a purpose-built one at Porvoo, in its home country. Neste aims to be turning out 1.9 billion liters of SAF per year by the end of 2023, which is some 15 times the total world production in 2021. Though this is still less than 2% of global jet-fuel consumption, which means that despite huge efforts by Nestle more companies should be joining the SAF industry.

How is SAF made? Src: British Petroleum

Scaling Up SAF Production

In America, Paramount expects to make around 1.3 billion liters a year by 2025. The group’s calculations suggest SAF could account for 65% of aviation’s carbon mitigation, with the rest coming from electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, more efficient airline operations, offsetting emissions, and carbon capture. However, this still requires producing 450 billion liters of SAF a year by the middle of the century.

To achieve this, scaling up SAF production may need government incentives. The Biden administration in America has announced tax credits and other incentives for SAF production as part of the country’s new spending bill. Across the Atlantic, the EU has asked to impose SAF targets at individual airports. One proposal suggests these would rise from 2% in 2025 to 85% by 2050.

Besides public incentives, the private industry must keep investing in the research and development of SAF technologies. A great way to incentivize the industry to fund research is to form an alliance with academia and other NGOs.

The Future of Aviation and Renewable Energy

The aviation industry is making strides to reduce its carbon footprint through the use of sustainable aviation fuel. While sustainable aviation fuel is just one piece of the puzzle, it has the potential to account for a significant portion of aviation’s carbon mitigation. With continued investment and government incentives, it is possible to scale up SAF production to meet the industry’s ambitious carbon-neutral goals. By leveraging renewable energy, we can create a sustainable future for air travel. Worldwide Recruitment Energy can help you find the right talent you to meet your recruiting needs within the industry and succeed in this booming market.

Sources

Chat GPT

World Economic Forum

The Economist