The Importance of Decarbonization in Aviation

Canada is taking a bold leap toward the future of flight by introducing zero-emission, hydrogen-powered aircraft—marking a major milestone in the global push for cleaner and more sustainable aviation. As air travel faces growing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, this innovation positions Canada as a leader in redefining how the skies can be powered without harming the planet. Unlike conventional aircraft that rely on fossil fuels, hydrogen-powered planes generate energy through fuel cells that combine hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity with water vapor as the only byproduct. This means no carbon dioxide emissions during flight, dramatically cutting aviation’s contribution to climate change. The result is quieter, cleaner, and more environmentally responsible air travel. Canada’s vast expertise in aerospace engineering, clean energy research, and hydrogen production makes it uniquely suited to pioneer this transition. These aircraft are especially promising for short- to medium-haul routes, regional travel, and remote communities where sustainable transportation is crucial. Reduced noise levels also benefit communities near airports, improving quality of life while maintaining connectivity. Beyond environmental benefits, hydrogen aviation supports economic growth. The development of this technology creates new jobs across engineering, manufacturing, clean energy infrastructure, and research sectors. It also strengthens Canada’s role in the emerging global hydrogen economy, opening doors for international partnerships and exports. This initiative aligns with Canada’s broader climate goals, reinforcing commitments to net-zero emissions and long-term environmental stewardship. While challenges remain—such as scaling hydrogen production, storage, and refueling infrastructure—the progress made signals a clear direction for the aviation industry worldwide. By investing early in hydrogen-powered flight, Canada is proving that sustainable innovation and aviation can move forward together. Cleaner skies, quieter flights, and a reduced climate impact are no longer distant dreams—they are becoming reality. This step forward represents not just a technological breakthrough, but a vision of aviation that respects both progress and the planet. #CleanAviation #HydrogenAircraft #SustainableFuture #GreenInnovation

Converting carbon in the air into jet fuel is now commercially underway. United Airlines has invested in Twelve, a company turning CO₂ into sustainable aviation fuel using renewable electricity and water. Their first commercial facility, AirPlant One in Washington state, starts producing this year. The technology produces fuel molecules that are chemically identical to conventional jet fuel, but emissions across the lifecycle are reduced by 90%. The numbers help put this shift in context: United's $200M Sustainable Flight Fund is backing the project (alongside Google and GE Aerospace). The company has a 260-million-gallon supply contract with major European airlines. Their first facility will deliver 50,000 gallons annually. They're using local hydropower as the energy source. SAF currently represents less than 1% of global aviation fuel use, but is widely seen as the most viable near-term solution for decarbonizing long-distance air travel, given the limitations of batteries and hydrogen for larger aircraft. United has already invested in future production of over five billion gallons of SAF, more than any other airline. If you're tracking hardware-based climate solutions, this is an important step. Carbon-to-fuel is leaving the lab and entering commercial facilities, with targets and contracts on the table. Decarbonising aviation has always been one of the hardest technical problems in climate. Seeing companies move from pilot to production is one of the clearest signals that real progress is happening. Are you seeing similar commercial breakthroughs in other hard-to-abate sectors?

I look at the first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in a way similar to the US’s Moonshot project. My team was tasked with testing and evaluating the flight's non-CO2 emissions from the SAF – just one aspect of the project. But what we were all trying to do – the academics, OEMs, airlines and the government – was demonstrate that SAF is a feasible fuel that worked. Our ‘SAFshot’, as I call it, was a success. I was on Flight100 when it took off in November 2023. It used 100% SAF on both Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines (Boeing 787). The flight travelled safely from London to New York. We reduced the emissions for that journey by 95 tonnes CO2e (equivalent to 64% CO2 reduction) compared to traditional jet fuel. The technology works. So why are we not using SAF in all our flights? The resources aren’t there. Yes, there is a clear political will to decarbonise the aviation industry. The UK, EU, US and many other countries have set ambitious targets and SAF mandates. But for us to meet these, a significant amount of research and innovation will be needed – to produce the amount of SAF required and at an affordable cost. At an international level, the aviation industry may need 490 million tonnes of aviation fuel a year by 2030. To meet the current UK mandate targets, 10% of UK aviation fuel consumption – 12 million tonnes per year, which translates to 1.2 million tonnes of SAF – will need to be changed to SAF by 2030. At the moment, we are at approximately 0.11 million tonnes, so there's a substantial gap to bridge in the next five years. One major bottleneck is the high cost of SAF. We need a breakthrough technology to make SAF more affordable and improve feedstock availability and quality, ensuring its unlimited use as a future fuel. Currently, biomass and waste-based feedstocks are utilised for SAF production. We are now exploring next-generation technologies that leverage green hydrogen and CO2 capture from the air, powered by nuclear Small Modular Reactors or renewable energy sources. This approach promises an unlimited supply chain feedstock, marking a significant breakthrough. Consequently, major aviation stakeholders are concentrating on these advanced production pathways. In Sheffield, when we applied for funding for our Energy Innovation Centre in 2018, we took a risk. We looked to the future, saw the importance of decarbonisation and considered the impact on the aviation sector. Taking this risk means our capabilities and facilities are maybe five to 10 years ahead of our competitors, which is why so many companies have chosen us as their main partner to deliver. We are showing how we can provide the missing piece of the puzzle – cost reduction and availability. Our next ‘SAFshot’ should focus on exceeding the SAF mandate targets – ‘mandate plus’ – to decarbonise the sector quicker. We have taken our first, not-so-small step – it’s now time to take a giant leap forward for the future of our planet.

Decarbonizing aviation is often seen as costly, yet the reality might surprise you.    Airlines today pay significantly higher fees to airports for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), an excess that could instead be directed toward purchasing additional SAF. That shift would accelerate SAF adoption and deliver greater global CO₂ reductions. Sometimes, the path to sustainability is less about new costs, and more about redirecting the existing ones.   According to a report published by IATA regarding Europe, airports charge approximately USD 54 per tonne of jet fuel. In contrast, airlines anticipate fees closer to USD 22 per tonne based on current market prices. This extra amount paid by airlines translates to an additional USD 1.3 billion for the 42 million tonnes of fuel sold annually in Europe. This extra money could have been used to purchase an additional 1.2 million tonnes of SAF, resulting in a CO2 reduction of 2.7 million tonnes each year.   This raises the question: Is there a shortage of SAF to meet the requirements of the ReFuelEU Aviation (RFEUA) legislation that took effect in January 2025?   The answer seems to be NO at this moment.   According to Finnish biofuel producer Neste, which has a joint venture with Marathon Petroleum, there is currently an oversupply of renewable fuel.   However, this is likely a short-term situation. McKinsey suggests that by 2030, the demand for sustainable aviation fuel could outpace supply unless there is a significant increase in production capacity.   Growing demand and clients willing to pay higher amount present a strong case for investing in SAF today.

🌍 Drop In Decarbonization: Techno-Economic Benchmarks, Hydrogen Needs, and Policy Design of SAF and Renewable Diesel A compelling new paper from The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) provides critical insights into the future of alternative liquid fuels. The study evaluates production routes for Renewable Diesel (RD) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) across the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and Brazil. Here is a breakdown of the insights: 1️⃣ The Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) pathways cluster around $1.3–$1.7/kg, Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) sits at $1.6–$2.1/kg, while electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) remains significantly higher near $5.0–$5.3/kg. 2️⃣ Cost decomposition highlights feedstock as the dominant lever for HEFA and ATJ, capital and site services for FT, and energy inputs (clean hydrogen and power) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) supply for eSAF. 3️⃣ A 50% blend of SAF or RD with fossil fuels halves the Monte-Carlo spread from the neat SAF stack and delivers meaningful emissions cuts at the point of use. Challenges ✴️ SAF costs four times more than conventional jet fuel. Triglyceride feedstocks are limited and geographically uneven, requiring robust collection systems and clear sustainability rules to mobilize effectively. ✴️ In heavy-duty diesel applications, passing through premium costs is difficult because carriers operate on thin margins and serve price-sensitive shippers. Opportunities ✅ Adapting conventional refineries to co-process biogenic feedstocks offers the advantage of repurposing existing infrastructure instead of building entirely new plants. ✅ The industry can adopt a sequenced strategy by scaling HEFA and FT now, expanding ATJ where alcohol logistics confer an advantage, and unlocking eSAF as clean hydrogen and CO2 costs fall. ✅ Policies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) focus on reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and offer incentives for producing biofuels with lower lifecycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. #SustainableAviationFuel #RenewableDiesel #EnergyTransition #Decarbonization #Biofuels #CleanEnergy #eSAF #OxfordEnergy #HEFA #FischerTropsch #AlcoholToJet #LCFS

Aviation is one of the harder sectors to decarbonize.  Electric planes are in development for short routes, but long-haul commercial flight still depends on liquid fuel that is dense enough to power a jet for hours.  Sustainable aviation fuel is the most credible near-term answer, and a research team in South Korea just demonstrated a new pathway for producing it. Researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, working with EN2CORE Technology, built a pilot facility in Daegu that converts landfill gas from organic waste, primarily food waste and livestock manure, into jet fuel.  The facility occupies about 100 square meters, roughly the footprint of a two-story house, and produces 220 pounds (100kgs) of sustainable aviation fuel per day with liquid fuel selectivity exceeding 75%. That’s enough to take a private jet about 125 miles. The key innovations are a hybrid cobalt catalyst that selectively produces liquid hydrocarbons over waxy byproducts, and a microchannel reactor design that reduces system volume by up to 90% compared to conventional systems.  Production capacity can be expanded simply by adding modules, which makes the approach potentially deployable at smaller, distributed sites located directly at landfills or waste treatment facilities. The supply constraint matters here. Most sustainable aviation fuel today is made from used cooking oil, which is limited in supply and competes with biodiesel production. Landfill gas from organic waste is abundant and inexpensive by comparison.  The global airline industry will need approximately 500 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel per year by 2050 to reach its net-zero target.  Current projected production in 2025 was roughly 2 million tons, about 0.7% of aviation's fuel demand.  The gap is very large, and new feedstocks are critical to closing it. #CleanEnergy #SustainableAviation #RenewableEnergy Image Credit: techxplore

Progress at 35,000 feet! Airlines are incorporating Shell's Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a renewable fuel, into their operations to significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional jet fuel, with potential lifecycle emission reductions of up to 80%. Made from various renewable sources such as used cooking oil and agricultural waste, SAF is a drop-in fuel that can be blended with conventional jet fuel, providing a practical method for decarbonizing aviation while supporting further progress in a challenging industry.  What is Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)?  • Renewable Source:  SAF is a biofuel produced from sustainable, non-petroleum feedstocks like used cooking oils, fats, agricultural waste, and even waste products. • Drop-in Fuel:  SAF is a "drop-in" fuel, meaning it can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines and fuel infrastructure without significant modifications. How does it reduce emissions?  • Lower Lifecycle Emissions:  SAF can significantly reduce the lifecycle carbon emissions associated with flying by 50-80% compared to fossil jet fuel. • Renewable Carbon:  Unlike fossil fuels, the carbon in SAF comes from renewable or waste-based sources, preventing new sources of carbon from entering the atmosphere, according to the Port of Seattle. Why is it important for progress? • Industry Decarbonization:  SAF is a critical pathway for the aviation industry to achieve its decarbonization goals, as it offers a way to reduce carbon emissions from flights.  • Addressing Key Challenges:  While challenges like high costs and limited supply exist, efforts are underway to increase SAF production and usage, supported by industry collaboration and government incentives.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is essential for the aviation sector to decarbonise...and as has just been reinforced (again), operating models reliant on imported fossil fuels are structurally exposed. But scaling the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) market is often framed as a supply challenge. It is not. It is a contracting problem. As I explored with S&P Global recently, there is a structural gap: binding demand signals (e.g. EU mandates) are not sufficiently matched by bankable, long-term offtake agreements that can underwrite capital-intensive production at scale. This matters because SAF is not constrained by technology alone. The constraint sits at the intersection of: 👉 Policy design (mandates, price support etc.) 👉 Capital discipline (risk-adjusted returns) 👉 Market structure (who carries volume and price risk) Without long-term contracts: ❌ Developers cannot secure financing ❌ Investors cannot price risk ❌ Projects do not reach FID The result is predictable - demand signals without supply response. What follows is equally predictable: 👉 Rising compliance costs for airlines 👉 Increased reliance on limited early supply 👉 Geographic imbalance (EU, APAC production potential) The deeper point is that this is not unique to SAF, its reflective of a broader pattern across the energy transition — policy-created markets require new forms of risk allocation and contracting frameworks to function. In this context, the question for industry and policymakers is not “How do we scale SAF?”. It is “Who is willing to take long-term risk — and how is that risk structured?” Until that is resolved, capital will remain on the sidelines, and deployment will lag ambition. Check out the article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g7YrpTrH Matt Walden Anish Mandal Matt Judkins Robert Hillard Thomas D. Pellegrin Bernhard Lorentz Johannes Trüby Tarek Helmi Jeff Ovens Richard M. #SAF #Aviation #decarbonisation