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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