Sustainable air travel is within reach

Boeing and NASA simply introduced a billion-dollar partnership to construct the plane of the long run. The brand new slender-winged jets, which might burn 30% much less gas than planes in the present day, might zoom by means of the skies as quickly because the 2030s. 

Improved gas effectivity is sweet information, contemplating that air journey emits 1 billion tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide yearly — that’s greater than most international locations. Higher designs will assist the aviation business meet its dedication to reaching “internet zero” carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. 

But gas effectivity alone received’t get us there. We additionally must decarbonize the gas itself. Fortunately, that is beginning to occur. Reducing-edge sustainable aviation gas can help a thriving aviation business whereas serving to to handle the specter of local weather change.

Like different biofuels, SAF is constructed from renewable natural materials — and that doesn’t simply imply corn and soybeans. Because of biotechnology, in the present day’s corporations are growing biofuels fabricated from algae, switchgrass, used cooking oil and even the carbon dioxide launched by semi-active volcanoes. 

One biofuel innovator, LanzaTech, has developed know-how that may convert captured carbon dioxide into biofuel utilizing micro organism. One other firm, Velocys, just lately received a £27 million ($33 million) grant from the British authorities to transform family trash into SAF.

Crucially, burning SAF emits solely as a lot carbon as its natural elements collected once they have been alive, making it carbon-neutral. Conventional jet gas, in distinction, releases tons of carbon dioxide that had been trapped underground for thousands and thousands of years. 

That makes the emission-reducing potential of SAF arduous to overstate. Swapping it in for conventional jet gas might cut back industrial aviation emissions by an estimated 80%. SAF has the additional advantage of decreasing contrails, these white plumes of particles, gases and water vapor that add to the climate-warming influence of in the present day’s jets.

SAF additionally makes a promising different for the tight-margined airline business as a result of it’s a “drop-in” gas, which means it could take the place of jet gas with none adjustments to present plane or infrastructure. 

Quite a few check flights in recent times have demonstrated that SAF is protected. In late 2021, United Airways operated a industrial passenger flight with one engine working on 100% SAF made by the Wisconsin firm Virent. Later this yr, Virgin Atlantic will enter the historical past books by making the primary transatlantic flight utilizing solely SAF.

Regardless of the promise, SAF presently accounts for lower than 1% of the gas utilized by the aviation business, with the USA producing lower than 5 million gallons per yr. One main roadblock is manufacturing capability.

Nonetheless, traits are shortly transferring in the correct path. The quantity of SAF available on the market tripled in 2022 over the yr earlier than, and skyrocketing demand from airways is spurring the business to construct new manufacturing services. Two dozen airways just lately pledged to make use of 10% SAF by 2030.

LanzaJet, a LanzaTech spinoff, will open a Georgia facility within the coming months that may produce 10 million gallons of SAF a yr — roughly doubling present U.S. manufacturing. One other firm, World Power, just lately introduced it’ll launch a brand new SAF facility within the Houston space with a manufacturing capability of 250 million gallons a yr by 2025. 

Current coverage strikes are serving to to spur larger home innovation and manufacturing. For example, the Biden administration’s SAF Grand Problem goals to get the USA producing 3 billion gallons of SAF per yr by 2030 — with SAF assembly 100% of aviation gas demand by 2050, an estimated 35 billion gallons a yr. 

And the federal Inflation Discount Act, handed final yr, established a virtually $300 million grant program to help growth and integration of SAF throughout the nation. The laws additionally included a $1.25-per-gallon SAF tax credit score, which is able to assist develop the marketplace for these fuels.

Because of many years of funding and innovation, decarbonizing aviation is now not the insurmountable problem it as soon as gave the impression to be. Transformational instruments like SAF herald a climate-friendly future for air journey. Let’s work collectively to make this historic transition occur.