Biofuels & novel fuels News

Below are links to stories about aviation biofuels.

NGOs write to aviation Minister, asking that public money is NOT used for SAF research and development

Ten environmental organisations, that are concerned about the environmental impact of aviation, have sent a public letter to the Transport Minister, Mark Harper, asking that development of allegedly "sustainable" aviation fuels should NOT be given public funding. The organisations say it would be grossly unfair for taxpayer money to be given to this, bearing in mind that a majority of people in the UK either do not fly in any one year, or take just one return flight. The majority of flights are taken by a minority, more affluent than average. The letter says that  “Industry-funded” should mean that the costs of any revenue support mechanism should be paid for solely by the aviation sector.  Also that taxes such as Air Passenger Duty should not be earmarked for SAF research, but go towards public funding. They say that at no point should there be any potential for Treasury money to be used to cover any scheme costs; the scheme should be administered by a body that is not the Treasury, similar to how the Low Carbon Contracts Company operates regarding renewable energy generation.

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Might jet fuel be produced from human sewage?

A company called Firefly Green Fuels, based in Gloucestershire, is trying to make jet fuel out of human faeces. It is a waste stream that is currently not used, except for as fertiliser for agriculture (which is controversial, due to the danger of a range of chemicals that are not removed from sewage, and microplastic particles).  Currently human waste, ie. sewage, breaks down and emits CO2, among other things.  If sewage is used to make allegedly low carbon jet fuel, it would need complex treatment requiring a lot of energy, and there would be a further waste product in the end.  Such fuels, which could just as well be used for vehicles etc on the ground, as for aviation, would emit just as much CO2 when burned as conventional fuels.  Burned in jet engines, it would also produce contrails - which have their own atmospheric heating effect.  Supposing jet fuel, or other vehicle fuel, could be produced from human sewage, there might then be a need for another agricultural fertiliser to replace it. The aviation industry is trying to find fuels that it can claim are "low carbon", if they are produced from carbon that has come from plants or animals - rather than fossil fuels. 

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Much of the allegedly “used” cooking oil being imported for SAF likely to be fraudulent

Analysis - by T&E - of latest biofuels data shows worrying rise in dubious "used cooking oil" imports as airlines increasingly try to promote biofuels as low carbon flying. The new report shows Europe currently imports 80% of the used cooking oil that it uses as fuel for cars, trucks and planes. About 60% of these imports come from China. With the global airline industry pushing for used cooking oil as a key ingredient in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), T&E has called for greater transparency to avoid used cooking oil (UCO) becoming a backdoor for palm oil. Europe does not produce anything like as much UCO as it wants to use. The push to import oils, with much of the allegedly "used" oil being dodgy, is set to grow as airlines push for more UCO as a key ingredient in SAF.  European governments say it’s almost impossible to stop virgin oils like palm being labelled as "waste". There are also palm oil derivatives such as Palm Oil Mill Effluents (POME) and Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD). These are not waste, but by-products of the palm oil refining process, linked to significant environmental damage and ILUC. 

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SAF technology developer Velocys running out of money, danger of insolvency

The board of directors of Oxford, UK-based Velocys has given its backing to an offer from a consortium of US, UK and Singapore investment houses to buy the company. Without an immediate injection of funds, Velocys is in danger of running out of cash next month and going into insolvency. Velocys has been developing technology to enable production of drop-in so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from a variety of waste materials and is involved in two projects in the UK and US to build commercial-scale SAF production plants.  Velocys shares have fallen from a high of £5.80 a share during the past year to 0.23 pence, valuing the company at just under £4 million. Carbon Direct Capital had previously been expected to make a $15 million investment in Velocys but withdrew when it did not get further investment from other backers by the end of October.  Companies trying to make jet fuel out of various waste materials have gone out of business in the past. It is very difficult to get a standard, cheap fuel from inconsistent, variable source waste materials. The UK government is keen to get SAF produced in significant amounts - but there are immense problems.

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Climate charity Possible and law firm Leigh Day have made formal complaints to Virgin Atlantic and BA, over false sustainability claims

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are facing formal complaints over their sustainable flight claims, after being accused of misleading potential customers about the environmental credentials of aviation and so-called "sustainable aviation fuels" SAF. Virgin Atlantic flew a plane, as a commercial PR stunt, powered by allegedly low carbon fuel, consisting largely of "used" cooking oil. This was partly funded by the UK government. Now the climate charity Possible and the law firm Leigh Day have filed formal complaints against the airlines, over their claims about reducing emissions from flights by use of SAF in future. There cannot ever be enough genuinely low carbon fuels, that do not cause other environmental harms, for more than a few flights. The airlines are misleading consumers over their claims on reducing carbon emissions from flights, as lay-people do not have the expertise to discern the limits of decarbonisation technology. There are unsupported claims that some SAF can give up to 70% carbon savings. But when burned in a jet engine, SAF produces almost the same CO2 emissions as kerosene, which then stays in the atmosphere. It also produces contrails and other non-CO2 effects.

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Virgin “SAF” flight – it’s just unrealistic aviation hype to delay real emissions cuts

There is to be a transatlantic flight by Virgin Atlantic, which is claimed to be fuelled 100% by so called "sustainable" aviation fuels (SAF). It is a publicity stunt, to attempt to persuade government, and the flying public, that in future flying can be low carbon - allegedly "guilt free".  But there is never going to be enough genuinely low-carbon fuel for more than a tiny % of flights. Jet fuels produced by taking agricultural land are recognised as not acceptable. The only fuels that might justify the term "sustainable", e-fuels, would have to be made from hydrogen, produced from surplus renewably generated electricity, combined with CO2 captured from the air, processed using renewably generated electricity. When the fuel is burned in a jet engine, it produces CO2 in just the same way as kerosene. A huge amount of low carbon electricity would be needed to produce e-fuels, and that would far more effectively be used for terrestrial demand - heating, vehicles etc.  The industry claims SAF can reduce the emission of CO2 overall by (up to) 70% compared to kerosene, depending on the fuel and several variables. There is a real danger that the SAF hype being promoted by airlines and governments will reduce pressure for a reduction in flying, which is the only real way to cut aviation CO2. Read the new report by AEF,  "Sustainable Aviation Fuels - Hope or Hype?"

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Gimmick trans-Atlantic flight by Virgin, using used cooking oil + oil derived from corn

Next week, Virgin Atlantic will operate the first transatlantic flight on a large aircraft using what is calls 100% “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF). The fuel to be used is derived from used cooking oil and oil from corn (maize). “The huge elephant in the room of all these biofuels is there simply is not the volume of feedstock available to go anywhere near the amount of fuel that is currently being burned in the world’s airliners,” said Guy Gratton, associate professor of aviation and environment at Cranfield University. Matt Finch, UK policy lead at the think-tank Transport & Environment, said there are problems with using used cooking oil to produce SAF as the feedstock has a limited supply and is already used regularly by the automotive industry to produce biodiesel.  The corn-based fuel being used in the flight is what is known as a “first generation biofuel”, which is effectively banned from production in the UK and EU, due to the adverse environmental impact of growing food to be used as fuel.  It just drives deforestation. Cait Hewitt, policy director at the Aviation Environment Federation, added: “This is basically a showpiece flight isn’t it? Rather than anything that could be seriously replicated in terms of day to day commercial operation of aviation.” 

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First commercial flight by Indonesian airline, Garuda, using palm oil

Indonesian airline, Garuda, has flown its first commercial flight using palm oil-blended jet fuel.  The 737-800NG aircraft flew from the capital Jakarta to Surakarta city, about 550 kilometres (340 miles) away.  Garuda conducted several tests including a flight test on the new fuel earlier this month and an engine ground test in August.  The palm-oil blended jet fuel is produced by Indonesian state energy firm PT Pertamina at its Cilacap refinery, using hydroprocessed esters and fatty acid (HEFA) technology and is made of refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil.  Countries that grow palm oil (usually having caused deforestation and loss of valuable wildlife habitat) want it used in jet fuel, as well as in a vast number of foods and household products. The airline industry is desperate for people to believe that so-called "sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)" can be produced and make flying "low carbon". Using palm oil in jet fuel certainly will not do that, if the whole lifecycle of the product is considered. The European Union has imposed import restrictions on the palm oil in jet fuel, due to the worsening deforestation problem. Indonesia has mandated 3% biofuel blending by 2020 for jet fuel, but implementation has been delayed.

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Grayling leads amendment to energy bill, to get more government funding for SAF

Rishi Sunak is under pressure from over 60 Tory MPs ito subsidise manufacturers of low-carbon aviation fuel in the UK to help the industry [allegedly] cut emissions. The MPs have signed an amendment to the government’s energy bill calling on ministers to introduce financial support to create a UK industry producing so-called "sustainable aviation fuels" (SAFs). The only possible hope the aviation industry has to cut its CO2 emissions in future, while growing as much as possible, is finding magical fuels that are considered low carbon. (Large hydrogen fuelled planes, or electric planes, are not realistic for decades, if ever).  The amendment to the energy bill, tabled by former Conservative transport secretary Chris Grayling, calls on the government to step in to create a “price stability mechanism” to incentivise fuel companies to produce more SAFs.  That is just what the sector wants. A subsidy from the public purse, for more flying. The government has pledged £165mn to encourage manufacturers to open at least five plants producing SAF, that they hope will start to be built by 2025. The extra subsidy would be even more.

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‘Pigs do fly’: Growing use of animal fats in cars and planes increasingly unsustainable

Europe’s growing use of animal fats to power its cars and planes is becoming increasingly unsustainable, a new study on behalf of Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. They are asking for greater transparency on use of animal fats, so that consumers know what is going into their vehicle tanks and fuelling their flights.  Use of animal fat biodiesel has doubled in the past decade and is 40 times higher than it was in 2006. European lawmakers have been promoting the by-product of industrial meat farming as a way of attempting to reduce the carbon impact of transport fuels.They are now setting their sights on planes – and to a lesser extent ships. However, there is not enough to go around.  Nearly half of all European animal fats already go into biodiesel, despite being used extensively in the pet food, soaps and cosmetics industries. That can’t be sustained without depriving other sectors, which will in turn likely switch to damaging alternatives like palm oil. Only category 1 and 2 animal fats are too contaminated to even be used for animal food or soap etc, so can be used for fuel.  The suffering of pigs and cattle in factory farming (and their slaughter) to provide these fats should be a concern to everyone.

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