#Sustainability20: Google, Lufthansa And EU Team Up To Measure Climate Impact of Flights & Other Stories In Aviation
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#Sustainability20: Google, Lufthansa And EU Team Up To Measure Climate Impact of Flights & Other Stories In Aviation
Weekly Roundup - 09/06/23
Each Friday, we publish a round-up of the most important stories on sustainable aviation. You can see previous editions of #Sustainability20 here.
Industry Updates
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Google are creating a reliable framework for measuring and presenting the emissions of different airlines’ flights. The partnership aims to help travelers make environmentally conscious choices. The Lufthansa Group will be contributing data for the initiative.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has mapped out a detailed analysis of how the aviation industry can reach net zero by 2050, in the form of roadmaps highlighting the technology, policy, finance, operational and infrastructure steps needed to achieve the industry-wide goal.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) has partnered with SimpliFlying to launch a new program for global airlines called APEX Greener powered by SimpliFlying.This program is offered by APEX for free to both APEX and IFSA (International Flight Services Association) airline members and provides a shared airline industry database of in-flight airline products and their APEX Greener rating.
Airlines have the potential to reduce aviation emissions by up to 70% by 2050, according to a recent study conducted by Bain & Company, by enhancing engine and aircraft efficiency, adopting sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and optimising aircraft operations. The current limitations of technology suggest that these efforts alone may not be sufficient for the industry to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050, particularly if air traffic continues to outpace GDP growth.
Infrastructure and operational efficiencies
Hamad International Airport in Qatar reported that during FY 2022/2023, 40% of its operational waste was reused or recycled. Non-recyclable waste contributed to electricity generation. The airport aims for zero waste to landfill and utilises organic fertilizer from recycled green waste. Additionally, it recycles 100% of wastewater for irrigation. The airport’s carbon reduction efforts earned it ACI ACA Level-3 and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems accreditations.
Pittsburgh International Airport partnered with Ecotone Renewables to reduce aviation-related emissions using an innovative digester named ZEUS (Zero Emissions Upcycling System). ZEUS rapidly converts food waste into fertilizer and biogas, which powers the system.
The milestone took place at Stornoway Airport and follows Loganair’s £2 million investment in new ground handling technology. The all-electric aircraft turnaround comprises disembarking and boarding passengers, loading, and unloading luggage and cargo, cleaning, catering, and refuelling.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
The UK has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that will mandate jet fuel suppliers to blend sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into aircraft fuel starting in 2025. It would set a 10 percent SAF blend requirement by 2030. A target mix for 2025 has not yet been set.
In addition to the above, it’s worth noting that the EU Commission has passed a law requiring aircraft departing from EU airports to use a minimum 2% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend, with the share increasing to 70% by 2050. The law aims to cut aviation emissions and includes fines for non-compliance. It awaits formal adoption by the EU Parliament and Council.
Oxccu’s sustainable aviation fuel, Oxefueltm, is created by combining captured carbon dioxide and renewably-sourced green hydrogen through a novel catalyst - a cost effective, decarbonised alternative jet fuel.
The French major will double the production of SAF, bringing the site to an annual production capacity of 285,000 metric tons. It will also build a biomethane production unit with annual capacity of 80 gigawatt hours that will be supplied with organic waste from the Grandpuits biorefinery.
Navigator Terminals and alfanar will enter a joint Front-End-Engineering-Design (FEED) study in 2023 to determine the key scope for the UK’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel handling terminal that will be located on North Tees to transport feedstock and handle the production volumes from the innovative alfanar facility.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will comprise a portion of this growing output which is being achieved through new renewable fuel refineries and the expansion of existing facilities. Importantly, the expected production has a wide geographic footprint covering North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Peter Cerda, IATA's regional vice-president for the Americas, urged Latin American governments to develop sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) capabilities to avoid lagging in the airline industry's sustainability efforts. He emphasized the region's potential for SAF production due to its geography and resources, and called for regulatory regimes to incentivize private sector investment in SAF.
New technology: Electric and Hydrogen
Rolls-Royce is expanding research into the potential use of hydrogen for aviation fuel with a series of new rig tests and collaborative study efforts targeting greater efficiency and ultimately net-zero carbon operations.
Japan’s government has adopted a revision to the country’s plans to use more hydrogen as fuel as part of the effort to reduce carbon emissions. The plan sets an ambitious target to increase the annual supply by six times from the current level to 12 million tons by 2040. It also pledges 15 trillion yen ($107 billion) in funding from both private and public sources.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have successfully created a one-megawatt motor which is a crucial stepping stone in making large electric planes in the future. The team has tested individual components of the motor and computed to show that it can generate one megawatt of output
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions aims to raise £30 million for the development of a hydrogen-powered electric aircraft, anticipated to launch by 2026. Backed by Safran and HydrogenOne Capital Growth, the funds will support the creation of a flying demonstration aircraft and preliminary work on the final product. Cranfield, with extensive experience in aircraft design, plans to merge with British manufacturer Britten-Norman to expedite hydrogen fuel cell engine incorporation in aircraft and to develop new regional aircraft.
Boeing has partnered with start-up Equatic, which developed a technology using seawater, rock, air, and renewable electricity to capture atmospheric CO2 and produce green hydrogen. This collaboration supports Boeing's sustainable aviation fuel goals, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. Equatic will remove 62,000 metric tons of CO2 and supply 2,100 metric tons of carbon-negative hydrogen to Boeing.
To learn more about green, blue and grey hydrogen, listen to our podcast with John-Paul Clarke, the co-founder of Universal Hydrogen.
HRS, a European designer and manufacturer of hydrogen refueling stations, and Beyond Aero, an aircraft manufacturer specialising in the development of innovative sustainable aviation solutions, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at pooling their expertise in order to develop hydrogen infrastructure through the first French “low-carbon” aircraft, developed by Beyond Aero and equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell.