Last week we explored the role hydrogen will have to play in the future of commercial air travel, but many airline execs are betting on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to help the industry decarbonise amid the climate crisis.
Honeywell and Oriental Energy Company have announced that a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility will be built in China. The plant in Maoming, Guangdong Province, will have an annual output capacity of 1mn tonnes.
The new facility will help meet a growing SAF demand, facilitate greenhouse gas emission reduction in aviation fuel production through the deployment of innovative technologies and support China’s goals to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
The Oriental Energy SAF project, which is expected to be built in two phases, involves two production units that will process used cooking oils and animal fats as feedstocks.
When completed, it is expected to be among the world’s largest SAF production facilities using used cooking oils and animal fats as feedstocks.
“SAF currently represents an important and feasible solution to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions, and the Oriental Energy SAF project is a significant step toward emission reduction in the aviation industry,” said Wang Mingxiang, chairman of Oriental Energy. “We are very pleased to open a new chapter of collaboration with Honeywell. By taking advantage of our existing petrochemical industry chain, we will build a new petrochemical production base to enable the mass production of SAF in China, contributing to greenhouse gas emission reduction in the aviation sector and China’s carbon neutral goals.”
Over 370,000 flights have taken to the skies using SAF since 2016. Aircraft today are powered by liquid aviation fuel, made mostly from fossil fuel sources. Yet new fuels have been developed that have the potential to dramatically reduce aviation’s net CO2 emissions. Although supply is currently limited (0.01% of global jet fuel use), sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are already in use today and take-up is increasing.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin, or non-fossil CO2. It is a so-called drop-in fuel, which means that it can be blended with fossil jet fuel and that the blended fuel requires no special infrastructure or equipment changes. It has the same characteristics and meets the same specifications as fossil jet fuel.
Since the first commercial flight operated by KLM in 2011, more than 150,000 flights were powered by SAF.
We know that aviation currently accounts for approximately 2-3% of manmade global carbon emissions, but without action, aviation could consume up to 22% of the global carbon budget by 2050. To maintain growth and at the same time address its environmental impact, the aviation industry has committed to carbon-neutral growth per 2020 and reducing net aviation carbon emissions to 50% below 2005 levels by 2050.
More than 99% of airline emissions and approximately 50% of airport emissions are related to the combustion of jet fuel. Although increased energy efficiency and reduction in energy demand are effective ways to reduce fuel consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions, these improvements do not offer a sole solution to aviation-related emissions.
The aviation industry has a clear vision for its use of SAFs, and will adopt only fuels made from feedstocks that can be grown or produced without the risk of unintended environmental and social consequences, such as competition with food production or deforestation.
Several airlines are driving forward the use of SAFs by signing multi-million dollar forward purchasing agreements. Others have invested in start-up support for SAF deployment, and some have promoted SAFs through test flights, research, and investigation of local opportunities. Five airports also have a regular SAF supply: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oslo, Bergen and Stockholm.
However, scaling up the use of SAFs to a global market is challenging and requires substantial investment. The industry has called on governments to assist potential SAF suppliers to develop the necessary feedstock and refining systems – at least until the fledgling industry has achieved the necessary critical mass and prices drop thanks to economies of scale.
More than 45 airlines now have experience with SAF, and around 14bn litres of SAF are in forward purchase agreements.
Boeing, for example, has a supply agreement for 2mn gallons (7.5mn litres) of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with EPIC Fuels to power its Commercial Airplanes operations in Washington state and South Carolina through 2022. The agreement is the largest announced SAF procurement by an aircraft manufacturer.
"SAF is a safe, proven, immediate solution that will help achieve our industry's long-term commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050," says Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of Environmental Sustainability. "Boeing has been a pioneer in making sustainable aviation fuels a reality. Through this agreement we will reduce our carbon footprint and have SAF available for customer deliveries as well as our own operations."
Boeing says that sustainably produced jet fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 80% over the fuel's life cycle with the potential to reach 100% in the future, is widely recognised as offering the most immediate and greatest potential to decarbonise aviation over the next 20 to 30 years. Approximately a year ago, Boeing committed to deliver its commercial airplanes capable and certified to fly on 100% SAF by 2030.
For Boeing’s purchase agreement with EPIC Fuels includes a SAF product made from inedible agricultural waste, blending 30% neat SAF with 70% conventional jet fuel. The purchase will enable broader use of SAF for Boeing commercial production, test, ferry, Dreamlifter and customer flights at facilities in Everett, Renton and Seattle in Washington state and North Charleston, South Carolina. EPIC Fuels will also continue to supply customised blends from 50/50% up to 100% SAF for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator programme, which accelerates innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in the air to solve real-world challenges for airlines and passengers.
"Our focus on environmental stewardship and safety is well-known in the industry." expressed Kyle O'Leary, VP and COO of EPIC Fuels, an independent aviation fuel supplier with primary operations throughout the US and Canada. "EPIC and Boeing have been partners for decades and we are honoured to be a part of this procurement. Working together, we are making sustainability more attainable for our customers."
Boeing began SAF test flights in 2008, helped gain approval for commercial use in 2011 and enabled airplane delivery flights with SAF starting in 2012. The 2018 Boeing ecoDemonstrator conducted the industry's first 100 percent SAF commercial airplane test flight on a 777 Freighter in partnership with FedEx. In 2019, Boeing began offering customers the option to power commercial delivery flights with SAF to demonstrate commitment to reducing CO2 and further spur the use of cleaner fuels.
Honeywell and Oriental Energy Company have announced that a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility will be built in China. The plant in Maoming, Guangdong Province, will have an annual output capacity of 1mn tonnes.
The new facility will help meet a growing SAF demand, facilitate greenhouse gas emission reduction in aviation fuel production through the deployment of innovative technologies and support China’s goals to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
The Oriental Energy SAF project, which is expected to be built in two phases, involves two production units that will process used cooking oils and animal fats as feedstocks.
When completed, it is expected to be among the world’s largest SAF production facilities using used cooking oils and animal fats as feedstocks.
“SAF currently represents an important and feasible solution to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions, and the Oriental Energy SAF project is a significant step toward emission reduction in the aviation industry,” said Wang Mingxiang, chairman of Oriental Energy. “We are very pleased to open a new chapter of collaboration with Honeywell. By taking advantage of our existing petrochemical industry chain, we will build a new petrochemical production base to enable the mass production of SAF in China, contributing to greenhouse gas emission reduction in the aviation sector and China’s carbon neutral goals.”
Over 370,000 flights have taken to the skies using SAF since 2016. Aircraft today are powered by liquid aviation fuel, made mostly from fossil fuel sources. Yet new fuels have been developed that have the potential to dramatically reduce aviation’s net CO2 emissions. Although supply is currently limited (0.01% of global jet fuel use), sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are already in use today and take-up is increasing.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin, or non-fossil CO2. It is a so-called drop-in fuel, which means that it can be blended with fossil jet fuel and that the blended fuel requires no special infrastructure or equipment changes. It has the same characteristics and meets the same specifications as fossil jet fuel.
Since the first commercial flight operated by KLM in 2011, more than 150,000 flights were powered by SAF.
We know that aviation currently accounts for approximately 2-3% of manmade global carbon emissions, but without action, aviation could consume up to 22% of the global carbon budget by 2050. To maintain growth and at the same time address its environmental impact, the aviation industry has committed to carbon-neutral growth per 2020 and reducing net aviation carbon emissions to 50% below 2005 levels by 2050.
More than 99% of airline emissions and approximately 50% of airport emissions are related to the combustion of jet fuel. Although increased energy efficiency and reduction in energy demand are effective ways to reduce fuel consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions, these improvements do not offer a sole solution to aviation-related emissions.
The aviation industry has a clear vision for its use of SAFs, and will adopt only fuels made from feedstocks that can be grown or produced without the risk of unintended environmental and social consequences, such as competition with food production or deforestation.
Several airlines are driving forward the use of SAFs by signing multi-million dollar forward purchasing agreements. Others have invested in start-up support for SAF deployment, and some have promoted SAFs through test flights, research, and investigation of local opportunities. Five airports also have a regular SAF supply: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oslo, Bergen and Stockholm.
However, scaling up the use of SAFs to a global market is challenging and requires substantial investment. The industry has called on governments to assist potential SAF suppliers to develop the necessary feedstock and refining systems – at least until the fledgling industry has achieved the necessary critical mass and prices drop thanks to economies of scale.
More than 45 airlines now have experience with SAF, and around 14bn litres of SAF are in forward purchase agreements.
Boeing, for example, has a supply agreement for 2mn gallons (7.5mn litres) of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with EPIC Fuels to power its Commercial Airplanes operations in Washington state and South Carolina through 2022. The agreement is the largest announced SAF procurement by an aircraft manufacturer.
"SAF is a safe, proven, immediate solution that will help achieve our industry's long-term commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050," says Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of Environmental Sustainability. "Boeing has been a pioneer in making sustainable aviation fuels a reality. Through this agreement we will reduce our carbon footprint and have SAF available for customer deliveries as well as our own operations."
Boeing says that sustainably produced jet fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 80% over the fuel's life cycle with the potential to reach 100% in the future, is widely recognised as offering the most immediate and greatest potential to decarbonise aviation over the next 20 to 30 years. Approximately a year ago, Boeing committed to deliver its commercial airplanes capable and certified to fly on 100% SAF by 2030.
For Boeing’s purchase agreement with EPIC Fuels includes a SAF product made from inedible agricultural waste, blending 30% neat SAF with 70% conventional jet fuel. The purchase will enable broader use of SAF for Boeing commercial production, test, ferry, Dreamlifter and customer flights at facilities in Everett, Renton and Seattle in Washington state and North Charleston, South Carolina. EPIC Fuels will also continue to supply customised blends from 50/50% up to 100% SAF for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator programme, which accelerates innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in the air to solve real-world challenges for airlines and passengers.
"Our focus on environmental stewardship and safety is well-known in the industry." expressed Kyle O'Leary, VP and COO of EPIC Fuels, an independent aviation fuel supplier with primary operations throughout the US and Canada. "EPIC and Boeing have been partners for decades and we are honoured to be a part of this procurement. Working together, we are making sustainability more attainable for our customers."
Boeing began SAF test flights in 2008, helped gain approval for commercial use in 2011 and enabled airplane delivery flights with SAF starting in 2012. The 2018 Boeing ecoDemonstrator conducted the industry's first 100 percent SAF commercial airplane test flight on a 777 Freighter in partnership with FedEx. In 2019, Boeing began offering customers the option to power commercial delivery flights with SAF to demonstrate commitment to reducing CO2 and further spur the use of cleaner fuels.
* The author is an aviation analyst. Twitter handle: @AlexInAir