Gevo Inc., a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer, signed a Fuel Sales Agreement with Scandinavian Airline System (SAS) to produce and supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for use and distribution in low carbon fuel regions of the United States. With the finalization of this new supply contract, Gevo will supply SAF to SAS from Gevo’s expanded Luverne, Minnesota plant, which is expected to be constructed over the next several years.
aviation
SHV Energy joined the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme
SHV Energy joined the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme (KCBP). In so doing, SHV Energy will reduce its headquarters’ CO2 emissions by 50%. Additionally, the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) has extended its participation in KCBP for a further two-year period. TU Delft first joined the programme on 1 July 2017.
Travelers flying with SAS can now voluntarily choose to buy biofuel
Travelers flying with SAS can now voluntarily choose to buy biofuel and so help reduce climate-affecting CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent. “The new non-profit service aims to pioneer a large-scale and competitive market for biofuel within aviation, in line with SAS’ sustainability strategy”, stated the Scandinavian airlines company.
Qantas operated the first-ever commercial flight to produce no landfill waste
The first-ever commercial flight to produce no landfill waste took to the skies last Wednesday, marking the start of Qantas’ plan to cut 100 million single-use plastics by end-2020 and eliminate 75 per cent of the airline’s waste by end-2021. All inflight products on board QF739, flying from Sydney to Adelaide and staffed by cabin crew from the Qantas ‘Green Team’, will be disposed of via compost, reuse or recycling.
Sweden will introduce a greenhouse gas reduction mandate for aviation fuel
Sweden has an ambitious target of being fossil-free by 2045. As a part of the initiative, a proposal for decarbonizing aviation in Sweden was announced ten days ago. The proposal suggests that Sweden would introduce a greenhouse gas reduction mandate for aviation fuel sold in Sweden. The reduction level would be 0.8% in 2021, and gradually increase to 27% in 2030. The reduction levels are estimated to be equivalent of 1% (11.000 tons) sustainable aviation fuel in 2021, 5% (56.000 tons) in 2025 and 30% (340 000 tons) in 2030. This makes Sweden an undisputed leader in decarbonizing aviation.
Etihad operated its first commercial flight using sustainable fuel from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam
The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), a non-profit entity established by Masdar Institute that is part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, announced the world’s first commercial flight using locally produced sustainable fuel on an Etihad Airways Boeing 787 powered by GE’s GEnx-1B engines.
The flight from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam marked a major milestone in the development of a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions. The initiative also addresses food security in the UAE through the farming of seafood as a core element in the process.
Klm signs a three-year contract for the supply of biofuel in Los Angeles
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has signed a three-year contract for the supply of sustainable biofuel in Los Angeles. This means that KLM will purchase sustainable biofuel for all its flights at this airport for a period of three years. The biofuel will be produced by the local biofuel refinery AltAir Fuels and supplied by SkyNRG. Los Angeles is the world’s second airport that has incorporated biofuel into its regular refuelling process. The airport in Oslo, Norway, was first to do so in March this year. KLM was also involved in that initiative.
Total and Amyris bio-based jet fuel ready for use in commercial aviation
Total, one of the world’s leading energy companies, and Amyris, an industrial bioscience company, begin to prepare to market a drop in jet fuel that contains up to 10% blends of renewable farnesane. This new jet fuel blend meets the rigorous performance requirements set for Jet A/A-1 fuel used by the global commercial aviation industry.
Exclusive interview with Ignaas Caryn, KLM: The development of a bioeconomy holds great social and economic potential
“I believe that for Europe the development of a bioeconomy holds great social and economic potential. Therefore I hope that Europe will take the right decisions when it comes to defining sustainable feedstock and dealing with ILUC (Indirect land use change impacts of biofuels) issues, not limiting the development of a great sustainable new industry for Europe.” To say it is Ignaas Caryn, director KLM Corporate Venturing and Biofuels. In this interview with the manager of the Dutch Airline Group we speak about bioeconomy and the future of the aviation industry.
“Sustainable aviation – says Caryn – contributing to a bioeconomy is indeed one of the key drivers behind our innovation strategy, and our corporate venturing activities form a key part in executing that strategy”.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
The viability of aviation biofuels: new results from Australia
Ground-breaking Australian research on the viability of aviation biofuels was released last Friday, at the culmination of almost three years of work by The University of Queensland, James Cook University, The Boeing Company, Virgin Australia, Mackay Sugar and IOR Energy.
The results of the unique study as part of the Queensland Sustainable Aviation Fuel Initiative have been published in the international journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining and were presented at the Boeing-hosted Aero Environment Summit in Sydney.
Researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, based at The University of Queensland, looked at the engineering and associated financial viability of biofuel production.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 