Reducing wastes for fuelling aircraft

By Rose de la Cruz

Should all go well, the Philippines will soon be producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) once a plant– to be set up by the private sector– would materialize.

Offhand, the Philippines is in talks with some parties to develop SAF which would help decarbonize the atmosphere and produce cleaner and cheaper fuel for airplanes.

So those smelly and unsightly solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils and food and yard waste and other feedstock don’t have to be thrown to rot in landfills because now there is another use for them for  air transport.

The discussions being undertaken by the Department of Transportation are aimed at finding partners that would set up and operate SAF plants in the country..

“We are encouraging the private sector because it is not the government that will put up the plant, it is the private sector. In fact we have some groups, encouraging them to get involved in the production of SAF,” said DoTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista to reporters at a forum last week, although he did not identify the groups involved.

“There are many materials from the Philippines (used for SAF) and these are being exported to Singapore to use for SAF. Although we cannot identify these groups yet, we have discussions with them and they will look at it,” he said. 

In March, President Marcos Jr. revealed that the Philippines secured a commitment from Airbus, an aerospace company, to collaborate with the Transportation department on sourcing energy from landfills for biofuels and its eventual use in the aviation sector, reported Business World..

The Department of Energy said it is still working on the draft regulations governing SAF to help accelerate the adoption of green fuel.

SAF can help reduce emissions from air transportation, being made from non-petroleum feedstock like agricultural waste and used vegetable oil.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that SAF will contribute around 65% of the reduction in carbon emissions needed by the aviation sector to reach net zero by 2050.

In the Philippines, only Cebu Pacific currently operates SAF-powered flights. The budget airline has expressed its aspiration to integrate SAF across its network by 2030.

Meanwhile, flag carrier Philippine Airlines said it is working to secure a green fuel supply deal as it aims to operate SAF-powered flights to Singapore by 2026.

The United States’ Bioenergy Technology Office website has a full-blown article about SAF– production, uses, and the manifold benefits, whAt the website of the DoE, an article on the benefits of SAF It said it empowers eneergy companies and aviation stakeholders by supporting advances in research, development and demonstration to overcome barriers for widespread deployment of low-carbon SAF.

SAF made from renewable biomass and waste resources have the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint, giving airlines solid footing for decoupling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from flight.

The US Energy department works closely with its transportation department, the US Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy for scaling up new SAF technologies on a commercial scale.

SAF is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. Depending on the feedstock and technologies used to produce it, SAF can reduce life cycle GHG emissions dramatically compared to conventional jet fuel. Some emerging SAF pathways even have a net-negative GHG footprint. SAFs lower carbon intensity makes it an important solution for reducing aviation GHGs, which make up 9%–12% of US transportation GHG emissions,according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

An estimated 1 billion dry tons of biomass can be collected sustainably each year in the US enough to produce 50-60 billion gallons of low-carbon biofuels. These resources include corn grain, oil seeds, algae, other fats, oils and greases, agricultural-forestry residues and woodmill waste, municipal solid waste streams, wet wastes (manures, wastewater, treatment sludge and dedicated energy crops.

Beyond reducing GHG, SAF benefits farmers through additional income, generate jobs, good for the environment and improved aircraft performance.