Currently, SAF, a liquid fuel that can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%, is used in commercial aviation. It can be produced from a range of sources (feedstock), including wasted plants, non-food crops, leftover fats and oils, and green waste.
It can also be produced artificially by drawing carbon from the atmosphere. Since the raw feedstock doesn’t harm the forest or stifle the growth of food or water crops, it is ‘sustainable’.
SAF recycles the CO2 that has been absorbed throughout the length of the life of the biomass used as the feedstock, in contrast to fossil fuels, which release carbon that was previously sequestered.
The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) promotes breakthroughs in research, development, and demonstration in order to remove barriers to the widespread adoption of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The performance of SAF made from waste and renewable biomass could be comparable to that of petroleum-based jet fuel while producing just a small amount of carbon dioxide (GHG) emissions. This would provide airlines with a solid foundation from which to decouple GHG emissions from flying.
The U.S. Department of Energy is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other federal government departments to develop a thorough plan for scaling up new technologies to produce SAF on a commercial scale.
Aircraft are propelled by SAF, a biofuel with characteristics similar to those of conventional jet fuel but with a less carbon footprint.
Depending on the feedstock and production techniques, SAF can have much lower life cycle GHG emissions than conventional jet fuel. Some proposed SAF routes even claim to have a net-negative GHG impact.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 9%–12% of all transportation-related GHG emissions in the nation are attributable to aviation. SAFs are a key GHG emission reduction technique because of their lower carbon intensity.
In the US, it is possible to collect 1 billion dry tons of biomass annually in a sustainable manner, which would yield 50–60 billion gallons of low-carbon biofuels. This list of resources also includes wood mill waste, municipal solid waste, forestry residues, wet wastes, algae, oil seeds, maize grain, oil seeds, agricultural residues, grease, and dedicated energy crops.
This vast resource has enough raw materials to produce high-value bioproducts, renewable chemicals, and more drop-in low carbon fuels to meet the anticipated fuel requirements of the American aviation sector.
Benefits of SAF
SAF made from waste and renewable resources can be produced, grown, and obtained to improve aircraft performance, create new business opportunities for farming communities, and benefit the environment.
By growing biomass crops for SAF production, American farmers can enhance their income during the off-seasons while also benefiting their farms, such as reducing nutrient losses and improving soil quality.
Regulatory services
Biomass crops can improve water quality and quantity while reducing erosion. They can also increase biodiversity and store carbon in the soil, which is advantageous for the ecosystem and for farms across the country.
The pollution burden on watersheds is reduced by SAF created from wet wastes like sewage sludge and manure, and the atmosphere is kept from being overtaken by harmful methane gas, a major contributor to climate change.
Many SAFs burn more effectively in aircraft engines because they have fewer aromatic components. As a result, during take off and landing, there are fewer harmful chemical emissions in the vicinity of airports.
The precursors to contrails, which can magnify the effects of climate change and improve aeronautical performance, are also fragrant compounds.
