Future Aviation Biofuel, Efficiency and Climate Change

Abstract

Petroleum fuels are often used as a source of energy for aviation transport and the key issue with this is that it is not sustainable. The aviation industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions throughout the world, and altogether produces approximately 2% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. According to predictions, air traffic is set to double over the next two decades, which will undoubtedly increase fuel requirement, and in turn, increase CO2 emissions. What’s more, the cost of fossil fuel fluctuate ever more as the days go on. For this reason, implementing and industrializing innovative types of fuel from renewable sources are crucial, with biomass being a key source of interest. Many industrial commitments and collaborations have been created as a means of identifying alternative manners of creating bio-aviation fuels. Moreover, this jet fuel has to be in accordance with ASTM international specifications and must be a complete replacement for petroleum jet fuel. The present research will assess and analyse the current technologies being use to produce renewable jet fuels, and these are classified as alcohols-to-jet, oil-to-jet, syngas-to-jet and sugar-to-jet methods. The key issues associated with every technology pathway outlined, such as issues pertaining to the theoretical process design, process economics and life-cycle evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions will be explored. Despite the feedstock price, availability and energy efficiency of the process serving as key obstacles in producing renewable energy, jet fuel created through biomass may be able to serve as an alternative source to traditional jet fuel in order to address commercial and military demand.