ECO INSIGHTS

Aviation begins using alternative fuel to reduce carbon emissions

Aviation is present in our daily lives in many ways. Travel for work, study, vacation, to visit relatives or discover a new place. Medicines, electronics, textiles, drinks, food and surgical materials are the items most transported by plane in the world. In the covid-19 pandemic, air transport was largely responsible for the global distribution of medicines and vaccines.

Currently, it is impossible to think about our way of life without the massive presence of aviation. This importance is corroborated by astonishing numbers in our country. In 2023 there were 112.6 million passengers, 789.3 thousand domestic flights and 122 thousand international flights. 

There are more than 27,000 aircraft across the globe and around 10,000 flights per day, this represents around 4.5 billion passengers per year and is expected to reach 10 billion people flying by 2050. Carbon emissions from aviation represent 2.4% of global emissions, and they rose at great speed: from 2013 to 2018, emissions grew 32%.

Understanding the relevance of carbon emissions from aviation, in 2016, an agreement to reduce emissions from international civil aviation (CORSIA) was signed by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which provides for neutralization and net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The agreement It is planned in 3 phases and provides for voluntary and other phases of mandatory participation by countries. Brazil is currently included in the scope of the CORSIA agreement, but will only be part of the mandatory scope from 2017 onwards.

Alternatives for reducing CO2 emissions by the aviation sector are based on operational improvements, increased aircraft efficiency, but mainly through the use of biofuels. Currently, most commercial aircraft use aviation kerosene as fuel, a petroleum derivative with a high potential for global warming.

As an alternative to aviation kerosene, alternative fuels such as SAF – sustainable aviation fuel – are beginning to be tested . Synthetic fuel can be made using oils and fats, biomass, cooking oil, oilseeds such as corn or soy. SAF presents itself as a great alternative to fossil fuel, as it is capable of reducing carbon emissions by up to 70% and can be mixed by up to 50% with commercial aviation kerosene.

Tests have already been carried out and proved the effectiveness of the biofuel, being used on transatlantic flights between New York and London. In Brazil, Embraer already has models being tested using 100% SAF in its flights. The big challenge is still the cost of the new technology.

Sustainable aviation fuel costs four times more than traditional fuel, with the fuel accounting for 40% of civil aviation costs. Another bottleneck is the availability of the SAF, which currently only has the capacity to meet 0.2% of the global demand for aviation fuel. 

The next steps to expand the use of SAF is investment in technology so that production increases and the price becomes competitive with aviation kerosene. The aviation decarbonization process is slow and must occur in the medium and long term and must involve fleet renewal, investment in technologies and increasing use of biofuels.

References:

Brazil prepares to produce sustainable aviation fuel: Revista Pesquisa Fapesp

Climate change: can aviation become sustainable one day? – BBC News Brazil

‘SAF is a matter of survival’: discover the biofuel that could change the airline sector – Money Times

corsia-oportunidades-para-o-brasil-v2.pdf (idesam.org)

Brazil signs commitment to sustainable aviation with international organization | Climate | One Planet (globo.com)