Fact Sheet: Alternative Fuels

• The industry is exploring reliable alternatives to kerosene that are sustainable and have a smaller carbon footprint.
• Current requirements of jet fuel
  • Not freeze at cold temperatures (Jet A -40˚C, Jet A1 -47˚C)
  • Not form deposits in the high temperature portion of the engine
  • Have high energy content (min 42.8 MJ/kg)

Bio-fuels 1st Generation

• Produced from the sugars, starches, oils or fats of agricultural products using conventional technologies.
• Compete for land and/or water with food production (corn, soybeans, sunflowers)
• Can cause deforestation, fresh water abuse and/or soil depletion.
• Most 1st generation bio-fuels do not meet all specifications for aviation fuel

Bio-jet Fuels new or 2nd Generation

• Made from sustainable, non-food biomass sources such as algae, switch grass, jatropha, babassu and halophytes.
  • Algae are simple, photosynthetic plants
    • Can be grown with polluted or salt water
    • Can produce up to 250 times more oil than 1st gen soybeans.
  • Jatropha reclaims wasteland, is a natural fence for crops and grows in poor soils.
  • Halophytes grow on salt ground, where nothing else grows well.
  • Switchgrass, a hardy grass, needs little water and produces a high output of biomass.
  • Babassu is a native-growing Brazilian tree with a high oil-yield nut
  • Camelina is an energy crop that grows in rotation with wheat and other cereal crops
• Lifecycle GHG emissions up to 80% lower than traditional jet fuel emissions.

Alternative fuels in practice

• Airbus flew a A380 in 2008 with one engine powered by FT Gas to Liquid fuel
• In 2008-09 four tests took place with one engine running on a 50% biofuel/kerosene mix
  • Virgin Atlantic flew a Boeing 747-400 on 23 February 2008 with one engine operating on a 20% bio-fuel mix of babassu oil and coconut oil
  • Air New Zealand flew a Boeing 747-400 with one engine on 50% jatropha derived bio-fuel and 50% kerosene on 30 December 2008
  • Continental Airlines flew a Boeing 737-800 with one engine using 50% jet fuel and 50% algae and jatropha mix on 7 January 2009
  • JAL flew a 50% bio-fuel (camelina, jatropha and algae) and 50% kerosene mix on a Boeing 747-300 with P&W engines on 30 January 2009
• These tests demonstrated that the use of biofuel from these sources as ‘drop-in’ fuels is technically sound
  • No major adaptation of aircraft required
  • Biofuels can be blended with existing fuel
  • The engine powered on the biofuel mix even showed an improvement in fuel efficiency in some cases
    

Certification

• In June 2009 US fuel certifying body ASTM passed a new specification enabling the use of synthetic (e.g. Fischer Tropsch) fuels in aviation. Full approval is expected by end 2009
• While international fuel specification for bio-fuels doesn’t yet exist, this is an important step along the path towards achieving certification for biofuels as well
• IATA is working with industry partners towards agreed production standards and test and certification requirements.
  • We could see certification as early as 2011

Production and impact on net emissions

• In 2020 a 6% mix of sustainable second generation biofuels would reduce aviation CO2 emissions a further 5%
• This would require investment of around $100 billion in production and distribution facilities

Role of governments

• Establish the right legal and fiscal frameworks to promote investment in low carbon sustainable alternative jet fuels

IATA position on bio-fuels

• IATA recognises that aircraft are long-lived assets and will be using kerosene or kerosene type fuels for many years to come.
• It supports research, development and deployment of sustainable bio-fuels that
  • Offer net carbon reductions over their life cycle
  • Do not compete with fresh water requirements and food production
  • Don’t cause deforestation or other environmental impacts such as biodiversity loss
• IATA’s aspirational goal is for its members to be using 10% alternative fuels by 2017.

Special Report on Alternative Fuels (pdf)

Updated November 2009