Last year, aviation accounted for just over 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. By 2030, this number is expected to rise to 3.5%.
Commercial airplane travel has rocketed over the past few years, and the aviation industry has responded to this demand by increasing the number of flights and introducing more aircraft. However, the industry relies heavily on jet fuel, specifically Jet A1, a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons that has a high environmental impact.
The aviation industry has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2050, and as a result has begun using jet biofuels. Various feedstocks are available to produce sustainable jet fuels, including energy cane (a type of sugar cane), municipal waste, and palm oil.
It is common to blend a small amount of biofuels with Jet A1 — the first flight using blended biofuel took place in 2008. However, despite the plethora of feedstocks, jet biofuels and blended biofuels have not caught on. In 2018, jet biofuels accounted for less than 0.1% of total aviation fuel consumption.
Although they burn cleanly and are made from renewable feedstocks, common jet biofuels derived from lipids such as palm oil require a great deal of water and...
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