Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) are a type of biofuel that can be used in place of conventional jet fuel. They are produced from a variety of raw materials, including biomass, waste, and captured carbon dioxide. SAFs have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by up to 80%.
However, SAFs are not a viable option to decarbonise air transport. They are currently too expensive to produce on a large scale and require significant investment in new infrastructure. More importantly, SAFs may not be available in sufficient quantities to meet the growing demand for air travel.
As a result, SAFs are not a realistic solution to decarbonise air transport. Instead, the focus should be on developing new technologies that can reduce aircraft emissions. These technologies include electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, as well as new aircraft designs that are more aerodynamic and efficient.
In the meantime, there are a number of other measures that can be taken to reduce the environmental impact of air travel. These measures include:
The most immediate is to make people aware to change their way of life and reduce the number of flights, encouraging people to travel by train or bus.
Increasing fuel efficiency through better aircraft design and operations will also help, but it is time consuming and the savings achieved will be minimal.
The offsetting of emissions by investing in environmental projects that some announce are a hoax so as not to face the problem before us.
By taking these steps, we can reduce the environmental impact of air travel while allowing some people to travel the world.
Here is a more detailed reflection on why SAFs are not a viable option to decarbonise air transport:
Cost
Currently, SAFs are much more expensive to produce than conventional jet fuel. This is due to the high cost of raw materials, the energy required to produce SAF, and the lack of economies of scale. For SAFs to become cost competitive, the price of raw materials would have to fall, the energy required to produce SAFs would have to be reduced, or economies of scale would have to be achieved.
Infrastructure
SAFs require significant investment in new infrastructure. This includes refineries to produce SAF, pipelines to transport SAF to airports, and storage facilities at airports. The cost of this infrastructure is a major barrier to the widespread adoption of SAF.
Availability
Currently, SAFs are not available in sufficient quantities to meet the growing demand for air travel. SAF's global production capacity is only about 100 million gallons per year, which is a small fraction of the 100 billion gallons of jet fuel consumed each year. To meet the demand for SAF, production capacity would have to increase by a factor of 1,000.
Environmental impact
SAFs may not be as environmentally friendly as they are often portrayed to be. SAF production can have a number of negative environmental impacts, including deforestation, water pollution, and land use change. Even if the industry could make the switch, there isn't enough land or renewable energy potential on Earth to produce all the sustainable fuels airlines need. And this makes it practically unfeasible.
For all these reasons, SAFs are not a viable option to decarbonise air transport. We must face the serious PROBLEM that we have before us and look for alternatives right now.
Someday soon, regional flights (short duration) could be carried out with small electric planes capable of transporting less than 20 people.
And for long-haul flights, experts suggest hydrogen as a fuel, but it's a technology yet to be developed, and that may take more than 20 years at the earliest.
In the meantime, let's not fool ourselves or be fooled by interested marketing strategies, and let's think about how we can live and be happy traveling less.
If we are able to leave a livable planet as we received it, our grandchildren will thank us.
For those who are more interested in this topic, I suggest reading:
Implications of preferential access to land and clean energy for Sustainable Aviation Fuels
By Susanne Becken a,d,⁎ , Brendan Mackey b , David S. Lee
Published in Science of the Total Environment
And I insist on the most important thing: do not be fooled !!!
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