Ready For Take Off

The experts at Argus Media explain the current trends in SAF, and their predictions for what the market’s future holds Aviation accounts for 2-3% of global emissions, and the focus of airlines is rapidly shifting to reducing their carbon footprint. Governments and international bodies such as the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are also setting targets and proposing incentives to cut emissions and scale up the use of more sustainable fuels to power aircraft. With options such as electrification still likely to be decades away, the spotlight is on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). There are 11 SAF production pathways approved by the ICAO and 11 more under evaluation. Hydrotreated esters and fatty acid synthesised paraffinic kerosene (HEFA-SPK) are the only type of SAF available at scale today, alongside co-processed SAF, which is produced by processing some renewable feedstocks in a conventional refinery. HEFA-SPK can be blended up to 50% with conventional jet fuel, while co-processed SAF has a 5% blending limit, and will account for well over half of global SAF capacity by 2028, according to Argus data. The SAF market is still in the early stages of...