Jet fuel could be greener by 2025, says CSIRO
Boeing and the CSIRO say Australia could source as much as 60 per cent of its jet fuel requirements from sustainable sources in just 18 months – but only if airlines, jet fuel companies and plane manufacturers work with government to unlock supplies of feedstock.
At the same time, Australia’s tourism and aviation industry is growing increasingly conscious of the need to decarbonise to continue attracting tourists down under. In Europe, some countries are weighing up whether they impose carbon quotas on their citizens, which could deter travellers unless Australia can take carbon out of flights.
While airlines globally are scrambling to secure feedstocks to produce or procure sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), a new road map from Australia’s top scientific research association, CSIRO, says that Australia is in prime position and could quickly leapfrog global competitors.
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“By actively working to liberate feedstocks, the road map estimates that Australia is currently sitting on enough resources to produce almost 5 billion litres of SAF by 2025. This could supply nearly 60 per cent of jet fuel demand projected for that year,” CSIRO senior manager and report author Max Temminghoff says.
“That’s enough fuel to power 640,000 Melbourne to Sydney return flights on a Boeing 737.”
The report says a combination of feedstocks and mature technologies drawing on local materials such as farm waste, cooking oil and residues could meet a growing portion of Australia’s jet fuel demand.
To convert these feedstocks into viable jet fuel, the report identifies two processes, including one currently conducted at CSIRO’s Perth laboratory, as ideal
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