Answers for aviation industry

Answers for aviation industry

In the very near future environmental goals need to be met. Governments and consumers demand a cleaner world. This also means that the aviation industry needs to find answers in order to keep moving forward into the future. Since aviation is viewed as one of the most polluting forms of transportation, especially the CO₂ footprint caused by aircraft exhaust for jet fuel needs to be targeted.

CIBA is developing an energy friendly process to produce sustainable aviation jet fuel. Our method will create a fuel that is CO₂ neutral and will benefit both the aviation industry in meeting environmental demands and the need for a green planet.

Agreement on CO2 Emissions by International Aviation

Unlike other transportation sectors, civil aviation will have to rely on liquid fuels for the foreseeable future. Although aircraft manufacturers are developing hydrogen and electric propulsion systems, it will take significant time for these technologies to become fully mature and economically viable.

Emissions from international aviation are specifically excluded from the targets agreed under the Kyoto Protocol. This has led to some national environmental policies such as fuel and emission taxes for domestic air travel in the Netherlands and Norway, respectively. Although some countries tax the fuel used by domestic aviation, there is no duty on kerosene used on international flights at this moment. The EU is pressing ahead with its plans to include aviation in its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Today global international aviation emissions are 70% higher than in 2005 and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forecasts that by 2050 these could grow by a further 300-700%.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has the potential to reduce up to 80% of CO₂ emissions compared to fossil fuel when used on a large scale. One would expect to see a flourishing SAF market, however, the reality is that this market is virtually non-existent because of the economics. Bio jet fuel is still two or three times more expensive than fossil fuel.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to address CO₂ emissions from international aviation. As global air travel grows, any emissions that rise above a fixed baseline must be offset by airlines by purchasing Carbon Credits or using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

ICAO Member States adopted a collective long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

To achieve this goal approximately 100 million-ton SAF per year would be needed at today’s global jet fuel consumption but less than 0.1 percent of this volume is produced today.