Session: 03-11 Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Biofuels, and Fuel Flexibility

Submission Number: 178809

Current Status of Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Costs, Ecological Benefits, and Regulatory Framework 

In the past decades, the aviation industry experienced a rapid growth, with projections suggesting a 3%-5% annual increase in air travel and even more, in freight. The need to ensuring security of supply at affordable prices to support economic development has triggered the development of synthetic alternative aviation fuels from non-petroleum feedstocks focusing on the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) – from biomass including waste and from water and CO/CO₂ using wind and solar energy – to reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation sector and to reach the climate targets [1, 2]. Recently, growing concerns over energy security have raised interest in SAF. These fuels have reached a high level of technical maturity, with several synthetic aviation fuels approved and demonstrated to be compatible with today’s aircrafts ensuring aviation turbines run sustainably and efficiently.

The emission characteristics when burning aviation fuels have an impact on the local air quality as well as on the climate (greenhouse gas emissions, particles, soot, contrails) [3]. In this context, the use of SAFs is considered as the most effective way, with aromatic-free SAF fuel able to reduce non-CO₂ emissions. Recently, Power-to-Liquid (PtL)-fuels have become of high importance due to their potential to overcome the limited biomass availability for the production of advanced biofuels. But they are presently not commercially available as the further development and scale up of the PtL production technology faces challenges such as high investment costs and risks as well as unreliable sustainability criteria. Due to the high production costs for PtL fuels resulting in high prices, demand uptake is expected to be low. To address these issues, several initiatives and regulations including the strategic plan of ICAO [4], the ReFuelEU [2] aviation, and the inclusion of aviation in the EU emission trading system (ETS) have been adopted to promote the market ramp-up of SAFs.

This work first presents a short overview on SAF including their emission characteristics, ecological impacts, standards, and compatibility to today’s aircrafts infrastructure. Thereafter, we will focus on the deployment of sustainable fuels – in particular PtL – in terms of amount, production chain, feedstock availability and production costs. Current market uptake remains slow and SAF availability in the EU may not be sufficient to meet ReFuelEU aviation requirements. To assess this, we will conduct an analysis of actual and planned SAF production volumes and quantify any resulting supply gap. We will examine the current market risks and contextualise them within the EU regulatory framework [2]. Finally, the proposed work will identify existing gaps and will point out needed actions to overcome them.  

[1] Richter, S.; Braun-Unkhoff, M.; Hasselwander, S.; Haas, S. Energies 2024, 17, 981. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17050981

[2] ReFUelEU Aviation, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/10/09/refueleu-aviation-initiative-council-adopts-new-law-to-decarbonise-the-aviation-sector/  [2023]

[3] S. Riebl, M. Braun-Unkhoff, U. Riedel, J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power 139(8): 081503 GTP-16-1519 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035816.2017

[4] ICAO, Strategic plan, https://www.icao.int/news/icao-unveils-2026-2050-strategic-plan-safe-skies-sustainable-future [2024]

 

Presenting Author: Sandra Richter German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Combustion Technology

Presenting Author Biography: - 2008-2013: study of Chemical Engineering at the HTW Dresden
- Since 2014 at DLR Institute of Combustion Technology
- Ph.D. title in 2019 in the field of alternative aviation fuels
- Present work focuses on production and application of PtL fuels with the focus on SAF, within different projects, especially the TPP

Authors:

Sandra Richter German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Combustion Technology
Marina Braun-Unkhoff German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Institute of Combustion Technology (retired)
Volker Belzer Deloitte
Ines Österle Deloitte
Benjamin Preuß Deloitte