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SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL
Future Flight
|March 2023
Aviation has a very high impact on the planet, accounting for over two percent of global CO2 emissions, and nearly double that warming impact through non-CO2 effects. For this industry to persist in a zero-carbon world, we must find ways to reduce its impacts through new technology, operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and carbon offsets.
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Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are low-carbon fuel alternatives for the aviation industry. These non-petroleum-based aviation fuels are generally produced from bio-based feedstocks such as energy crops, waste, residues and end-of-life products (in which case they may be synonymous with aviation biofuels or bio-jet-fuels), or fossil waste such as industrial off-gases like carbon monoxide (CO). E-fuels (directly capturing CO2 from the air for fuel manufacture) are gaining traction but are very energy inefficient and will not be ready for market for several decades.
What is the issue?
Aviation has by far the greatest impact per kilometre travelled of all transport options. With the sector projected to continue its fast growth, how do we reduce emissions from air travel? While some emissions can be reduced by improving operational and technical efficiency, the immense energy requirements of flying mean that airplanes will be reliant on energy-dense liquid fuels for a long time to come.
What are we doing?
WWF has undertaken comprehensive research on the potential of producing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) within sub-Saharan Africa. Based on this work, WWF continues to engage policy makers and industry leaders to layout a roadmap for SAF production in South Africa, ensuring that this growing market has firm sustainability principles embedded from the outset.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Future Flight.
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