What alternative fuels are available for the aviation industry?

This article was originally published in our newsletter "Mobility" Analysis, February 2, 2021.
To receive future articles by email as soon as they are published, Subscribe now.

WWF and EasyJet, Transport & Environment and Schiphol Group, Climate Action Network and Air France… it’s quite rare to see these names side by side in a joint initiative. Yet in mid-January, these organizations—along with other environmental groups and key players in the aviation industry—published a “consensus statement” [1] as part of the Fuelling Flight Project. The purpose of this consensus statement: the future of sustainable aviation fuels (“ Sustainable Aviation Fuels "or" SAF (in English).

A clear-eyed assessment The assessment by the members of the Fuelling Flight Project is relevant and demonstrates a certain degree of clarity. They argue that Europe’s current policies on biofuels are open to justified criticism. This criticism, which has already led to some backtracking by public authorities (for example, with a maximum blending rate for first-generation biofuels), contributes to creating an unclear political and regulatory environment that is not conducive to investment.

In the spotlight: first-generation biofuels, produced from agricultural feedstocks traditionally used for food (rapeseed, soybeans, palm oil, etc.), which account for the vast majority of current production volumes. Two key issues have rightly been identified: the competition between land used for biofuels and land used for food production ; and the issue of the climate impact of the land-use change that results from this [2]. The primary interest of airlines to operate within a clear regulatory framework thus aligns directly with that of the associations of to promote truly effective public policies.

Relevant solutions To address these challenges, the Fuelling Flight Project proposes a series ofkey elements that regulations should ensure or facilitate - One example is the upcoming ReFuelEU Aviation Directive, which the European Commission is expected to propose as early as February 2021 [3]. Among the solutions put forward are:

• The ban on the production of biofuels from dedicated croplands, and, on the contrary, an increased use of catch crops [4];
• Advances in Computational Methods in Life Cycle Assessment in the regulations to take a more case-by-case approach and account for the impact of specific geographic factors, such as local ecosystems;
• Promoting Biofuels Made from Waste and Residues, mainly agricultural;
• The Widespread Adoption of Synthetic Fuels such as e-fuels (“electrofuel”) produced through CO2 capture, storage, and utilization processes.

Two blind spots: availability and competition among uses While airplanes don’t have rearview mirrors, that doesn’t mean the aviation industry doesn’t have blind spots in its approach to certain issues. In this case, the issue of availability of SAFs and the related issue of the conflicting uses.

Regarding the availability of SAFs, the Fuelling Flight Project briefly notes: “To achieve long-term decarbonization goals and higher deployment rates, it will be necessary to use fuels with a larger feedstock base than just bio-based waste and residues. E-fuels offer considerable long-term potential for SAF supply, as their production capacity is less constrained” [5]. Are these measures sufficient to achieve the necessary reduction in emissions in the transportation sector?Is a scenario involving increased use of SAFs—but without questioning how they are used—compatible with Europe’s climate commitments? This is far from certain, and the members of the Fuelling Flight Project do not venture to analyze these issues. It is also worth noting that the members of the Fuelling Flight Project do not venture to propose a target blending rate, even though this is necessary for these fuels to have a significant impact on the sector’s emissions.

Regarding competition among different uses, the topic is briefly addressed at the end of the document: “Deployment targets and support policies should be based on detailed impact assessments concerning the sustainable availability of raw materials and existing demand from other industrial sectors and transportation.” This raises the question: Should aviation be given priority over other modes of transportation that require biofuels?, such as heavy-duty trucking or maritime transport? And What about e-fuels, which consume a particularly large amount of electricity, and therefore in competition with other energy needs? More generally, what relative weight should be given to the different types of trips (long-distance vs. medium-distance) and modes of transportation? There is no clear answer to these complex questions. To be fair to the participants in the Fuelling Flight Project, it is clear that these trade-offs depend first and foremost on public authorities and voters, and not on industry stakeholders, who are obviously biased.

In summary, The Fuelling Flight Project—an unusual coalition—provides a very insightful analysis of the necessary safeguards to make aviation biofuels a truly carbon-free and sustainable solution. However, the debate remains open regarding whether the SAF feedstock (both bio-based and synthetic) will be sufficient to meet the challenges ahead and to determine what kind of prioritization among modes of transportation this will require.

Article written by Clément Mallet (Senior Consultant) clement.mallet@carbone4.com

Sources:

[1] Fueling Flight Project

[2] This impact can be direct (for example, one hectare of forest is cleared for palm oil plantations) or indirect. The indirect case—which is the most common for production in Europe—can be summarized as follows: one hectare used for biofuel will replace one hectare used for food crops; food demand then shifts to other agricultural lands, potentially including agricultural lands created through deforestation, leading to in the end to greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

[3] European Parliament

[4] A crop grown between the harvest of a main crop and the planting of the next crop during a period of varying length known as intercropping.

[5] “Meeting long-term decarbonization targets and achieving higher deployment rates will require the use of fuels that are more readily available than bio-based wastes and residues. Electrofuels offer substantial long-term potential for supplying SAF, as there are fewer constraints on their production volumes.” [6] “Policy support and deployment targets should be based on detailed impact assessments of the sustainable availability of feedstocks and existing demand from other transportation and industrial sectors.”