Airlines ramp up the hunt for sustainable aviation fuel

A Boeing 747 reportedly burns a staggering 3,800 gallons of fuel per hour, or about one gallon every second. So it is no surprise the aviation industry is looking for ways to make air travel more eco-friendly. But the transition away from traditional jet fuel toward more sustainable options, while being a constant goal of airlines, is easier said than done.

Various airlines are looking for ways to use these clean energy fuels — commonly called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — on a widespread basis. Governments as well as individual airlines have set environmental goals for SAF usage in the coming decade. While progress is being made, making SAF ubiquitous in aviation remains a lofty goal.

What is sustainable aviation fuel made from?

They are generally "made from non-petroleum feedstocks that reduce emissions from air transportation," said the U.S. Department of Energy. There are several sources of SAF, but most are made "from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks" such as the "food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils and other feedstocks."

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Several large brands manufacture SAF, and it is a larger market than most people may realize. Neste, one of the world's largest SAF producers, sold nearly 116,000 tons of SAF in the first half of 2024, according to financial records.

Why is sustainable aviation fuel hard to come by?

Creating SAF "requires making hydrocarbons that mirror those used in traditional jet fuel," and the "processes required — electrolysis, gasification and the series of chemical reactions known as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis — are energy intensive," said Heatmap News. This means that finding a way to produce SAF while also "scaling to meet demand is a challenging and expensive task."

Beyond the process itself, SAF supply is limited by the "amount of cooking oil or fats restaurants and food processing facilities generate," said Heatmap. Current SAF supply is expected to only meet 10% of demand by 2050, according to a 2022 report. The "lag is happening because we just don't have the fuel today," and "whatever fuel shows up, it just flies off the shelves," Aamir Shams, a senior associate at energy think tank RMI, said to Heatmap.

How can sustainable aviation fuel usage be increased?

Several airlines and governments are working to increase SAF production and meet usage goals. Air Canada has "signed an agreement with Finland-based sustainable fuel producer Neste to purchase 20.5 million gallons" of SAF, said The Cool Down. This comes on the heels of the airline announcing sustainability goals in 2021, including a "commitment to achieve net-zero planet-warming gas pollution by 2050 and a pledge of $50 million in SAF."

Delta Air Lines is also a large player at an sustainable aviation fuel hub in Minnesota that "aims to make SAF cost competitive through a demand consortium that includes Deloitte, Bank of America, Ecolab and Delta," said Sustainability magazine. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus additionally "announced it will join the Minnesota SAF Hub and demand consortium with a multi-year commitment to purchase SAF." Other airlines committing to higher percentages of SAF usage include American Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, KLM and Alaska Airlines.

The Department of Energy is also working to improve SAF usage through its own set of goals. This includes benchmarks to hit by certain years, including a "50% reduction in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fuel" and the production of "3 billion gallons per year of domestic SAF by 2030," said the agency. The Department of Energy aims to produce "35 billion gallons of SAF to satisfy 100% of domestic demand by 2050."