F U E L
Embraer’s representative in partnership with Boeing at the
Joint Research Center for Sustainable Aviation Biofuels in
Brazil. He says, “Technically we are talking about the same
product in terms of quality. It has the same specification
as the fossil fuel. It meets all the requirements: density,
viscosity and energy content per mass unit.”
Myth busting
Increasing availability is one of the key enablers to
spreading the use of SAJF in business aviation,
but it’s not the only one. Thorbjorn Larsson, Air
BP’s general manager in the UK and the Nordics
says, “There’s fuel available. Last month we
shipped 5000 tonnes from Neste. Looking at
the volumes compared to commercial aviation in
Europe the supply is there, what we are looking
for is the demand.”
If biojet is technically the same as Jet A, is
flying will only be
available for shorter
distances initially, so
sustainable biofuel is
what we have to do
standardized and available, what is stopping people
from using it? Juergen Wiese is chairman of the EBAA
and also runs BMW’s corporate flight department. He
says, “The misconception is that sustainable biofuel might
increase the maintenance bill. I hope we can demystify that.
It’s certified as Jet A, it is no different. People shouldn’t be
afraid to use it.”
Another barrier to adoption is price, which can be up
to four times higher than standard jet fuel. “It’s the typical
supply / demand challenge,” says Juergen Wiese, chairman
of the EBAA and manager of BMW’s corporate flight
department. “Regulatory proposals will help, a mandate
will drive adoption. We also want aircraft OEMs to request
SAJF. Demand from both fuel suppliers and FBOs will led
to a production increase.
“We can see production doubling each
year for the next several years, but the
baseline is very small. We are at least five
years away from meaningful amounts.”
Wiese adds that the transition can be
gradual and encourages larger operators or
fleet operators to plan their switch over. This
could be 5% this year, 15% the year after
and 30% the following year.
There are other factors at play that are
helping to reduce business aviation’s CO2
emissions. Brad Nolen, vice president of
marketing and strategy at Bombardier says,
“Compared to the commitment made 10
years ago, we are ahead of plan because
we have produced less aircraft and are
using them less, which is bad news.
“The good news is that new technology
is making a difference too, lighter aircraft
and better engines, winglets and new
routing and GPS. New aircraft are helping to
reduce emissions, but we have to affect the
fuel burn of all 20,000 existing aircraft in the
fleet. The technology to do that is SAJF.”
Sustainability challenge
A large modern business jet during a
1,000nm will produce around 23,000 lbs of
to fly.”
Below: SAJF from World Fuel
is supplied using the same
infrastructure as non-biofuels
52 | BU S INE S S A I R P O R T INT E RNAT I ONA L J U L Y 2 0 1 9
CO2. If the same flight uses a blend of 30% SAJF and 70%
Jet A it would reduce CO2 emissions by about 4,100 lbs,
or 18%.
The prerequisite to this calculation is that further back
in the supply chain the biojet has to be produced in a
sustainable way and if produced from biocrops, these
must be grown on land that does not affect the
production of food. Transportation of the fuel can
also affect sustainability. Larsson says, “Every
movement reduces sustainability, because you
have to include the CO2 emissions for transport.
But if moved by cargo ship, there a much
smaller impact.”
A SAJF should have RSB (Roundtable on
Sustainable Biomaterials) certification, part of
which covers the prevention of indirect-land
use. Both of the largest alternative aviation fuel
producers, AltAir and SkyNRG are RSB certified.
There are five main feedstocks approved for SAJF
production and the same number under development.
Larsson says, “Eventually we will run out of feedstock,
which is why it is important to develop and approve new
feedstock now. There will be a variety of sources used in the
future, including forestry and agriculture.”
Wiese says, “Ensuring that business aviation is
sustainable will give us the licence to operate in the future.
Electric flying will only be available for short distances
initially, so sustainable biofuel is what we must do to fly.”
“Electric
Biojet Standards
A SAJF has to have been produced to meet the
requirements of the global standard ASTM D7566.
The ASTM (formerly known as the American Society
for Testing and Materials), is an international
standards organization that develops and publishes
technical standards.
A SAJF that meets ASTM D7566 can then be
re-identified as meeting ASTM D1655, the technical
standard that defines what is commonly called Jet A
or Jet A-1 and thus be sold under that name.