Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Making flying greener

DW (English)

Cars and trains have gone electric, but not large aircraft. Aviation fuel will soon get more sustainable, however. The new fuel will be available in small quantities for the time being, but it could make a big difference.

Transcript

00:00A modern Airbus A350 from Spanish airline Iberia is preparing for take-off in Mexico.

00:08It seems routine, but something notable just happened.

00:12During refueling a small amount of SAF, sustainable aviation fuel, also called sustainable kerosene, was added.

00:20Although it's optional now, starting January 1st, it will be mandatory.

00:26It starts with a 2% blend and will reach 70% by 2050.

00:32That means that starting next year we'll be required to use SAF.

00:40But how is SAF made?

00:42We start our journey in Cartagena on the Mediterranean coast,

00:46where energy company Repsol has a large refinery,

00:50and recently added CENTER, an SAF production plant.

00:59This plant enables us to provide our gas stations with 100% renewable fuels for cars

01:06and to produce bio-kerosene and SAF for the Spanish aviation market.

01:11Sustainable for the Spanish aviation market.

01:16Repsol has invested €250 million to transform this brown liquid into fuel for both cars and planes.

01:24But what exactly goes into it?

01:26We continue inland to food producer Orzante in Navarra.

01:31Viviana Hinojosa, overseeing the refinery, is producing sunflower oil.

01:36Its by-product, a thick green paste, is produced in such quantities

01:41that tankers are needed to haul it away regularly.

01:47This isn't waste, because what we produce will always be of interest to other companies

01:51as material for their products.

01:56This green paste, and similar waste from across Spain, is processed at a nearby refinery.

02:03Chemist Maria Garcia explains the steps involved in her lab

02:08and what makes this process so intriguing.

02:15We treat it with heat and acid to separate the oily phase,

02:19the part we want to extract, from the aqueous phase.

02:25They're using fats from waste, which is different than earlier biofuels.

02:30What's processed here comes from by-products from cooking oil production

02:34and deep fryers in restaurants, not oils cultivated specifically for fuel.

02:42This liquid becomes biodiesel and biocarosine.

02:46Though Spain is the world's largest olive oil producer, generating plenty of waste,

02:51the supply is limited.

02:53The competition for these resources is fierce.

02:59There's competition, but we've prepared for it

03:02by securing access to these materials for years.

03:09Oleofat is also exploring fat extraction from sewage sludge.

03:13Diversifying sources is key, but Repsol knows these sources won't be sufficient

03:18in the medium term. As for their next step?

03:22We're testing animal fats and other new raw materials in the pipeline,

03:26which we're trialing in pilot plants,

03:28which will gradually integrate into our operations.

03:33South of Madrid, 250 scientists at Repsol's research center

03:38are racing to find additional sources.

03:43Robots analyze various samples,

03:46Robots analyze various samples and formulations around the clock,

03:50including green waste.

03:56The benefit of this kind of raw material is that it's far more abundant

04:00than cooking oils or other oily waste.

04:07If we can use this solid feedstock, it allows for much higher biofuel production.

04:16Repsol currently produces enough SAF to meet Spain's demand

04:20for 100% biodiesel and 2% biocarazine.

04:25But Europe faces a bottleneck,

04:27especially with the goal of using 6% biofuel in aviation by 2030.

04:35We need to start now. Plants are either operational or in the planning stages,

04:40but without significant investment in SAF projects now,

04:44we won't hit our 2030 targets.

04:52Currently, the lack of production capacity in Europe is one issue.

04:56For Spain's air traffic, however, the outlook could be better in the medium term as well.

05:03Spain is in a privileged position compared to other EU countries.

05:08We have lower renewable electricity production costs,

05:12giving us the potential to lead in renewable energy development within the EU.

05:20Iberia sees SAF as an opportunity for rural development as well.

05:27This could bring prosperity and improve regional coexistence

05:31by establishing industries in areas currently lacking wealth,

05:35such as Spain's depopulated regions.

05:38Those are precisely where raw materials and renewable energy are available.

05:44But what does this mean for air travel?

05:46SAF costs more than fossil-based kerosene.

05:52Flying will become more expensive, unfortunately, at least at first.

05:59But we're working to lower SAF prices quickly by ramping up production.

06:04SAF generates significantly fewer CO2 emissions than conventional kerosene,

06:09yet it still burns in internal combustion engines, emitting other pollutants.

06:14Flying with SAF is therefore only less dirty, not truly clean.

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