GREEN FLIGHT

From sustainable fuel to hydrogenpropelled engines, the aviation sector is experimenting with various technologies for a clean future

- SEEMA PRASAD

THE GLOBAL aviation sector consumes over one billion litres of fuel a day, according to a 2021 research paper published in IOP Science. The sector was also directly responsible for 2 per cent of the global carbon emissions in 2021, as per the International Energy Agency (IEA). “If things continue as they are, emissions from the sector will not meet net-zero targets,” says Lynnette Dray, a senior research associate at University College London who specialises in aviation emissions and airline competition.

Little wonder, the sector is exploring a host of green technologies that include cleaner fuel sourced from biomass, hydrogen and e-aircraft. The technologies are in the early stages and success will depend on several factors.

SOURCING GREEN FUEL 

This February, Indian Oil, the country’s largest aviation fuel provider, announced that at least 2 per cent of its aviation fuel by 2030 will be sourced from ethanol, a green fuel made from plant waste. The company has tied up with LanzaJet, a US-based fuel manufacturer that has a refinery in Panipat, to achieve the target.

Sustainable aviation fuels are hydrocarbon molecules sourced from plant or animal material and usually blended with conventional aviation fuel sourced from fossil fuels. The green hydrocarbon molecules are collected through a process called hydrodeoxygenation, in which oxygen and other impurities such as sulphur and nitrogen are chemically removed.