When are biofuels sustainable and why is this important to the aviation industry?
Sigrid Brynestad
11.Sept 2012
ATC
DNV Aviation Experience
Certification
Construction Work
Runway
3rd Party Risk
Holding Points
Capacity
Ground Services
Landing
Sustainability
Security
Transport
Approaches
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
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Management
Modelling
Safety culture
Fuelling
Version
What are biofuels?
Intermediates
Crops/ annuals
Fats and oils
Sugar cane
Grains
Seeds
Grass
Etc…
Biodiesel
Micro-algae
Macro-algae
Biochemical
Fermentation
Enzymatic hydrolysis
…
Trees
Marine biomass
Cellulose
Hemicellulose
Lignin
Alcohols
Thermochemical
Fischer-Tropsch
Pyrolysis
Gasification
…
Hydrocarbons
and natural oils
Chemicals
Combustion
What are sustainable biofuels
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Refining and
purification
Biogas
Waste
Household
Industrial
Agricultural
Bio-jet fuel
Chemical
Transestrification
Polymerization
…
Starch
Sugars
Hardwood
Softwood
Conversion
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Power
generation
Process
waste
Additional conversion
Feed stock
What is sustainability?
What are sustainable biofuels
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Why should we care about sustainability?
What are sustainable biofuels
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Aviation has an impact on CO2 emissions
 Aviation is responsible for an estimated 500 million tons, or 1%, of annual
anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Unchecked, the industry estimates the aviation
sector will be responsible for over 5% of global emissions by 2020. (IPCC)
 80 % of CO2 annually emitted by aircraft are from those flying more than 1,500
kilometers
 There is no alternative mode of practical transport and given the energy density of
kerosene, there really is no alternative to liquid fuel either
 15.614 billion gallons of jet fuel used in 2009
 600 million gallons of biofuel a year by 2015 (The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Group)
What are sustainable biofuels
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Technical improvements will not be enough
What are sustainable biofuels
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Some business risk are obvious
What are sustainable biofuels
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Ignoring the sustainability issues is a business risk
What are sustainable biofuels
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http://euobserver.com/media/src/d8bb03efb1c25472b339f8793a8829f5.jpg
http://www.cannews.com.cn/2012/0313/185752.html
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http://www.planestupid.com/actions?page=2
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Governments may ensure that CO2 will not be ignored
What are sustainable biofuels
http://www.flyerspulse.com/2012/01/03/european-union-emissions-trading-costs-uk-apd-tax/
11.Sept 2012
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The aviation industry is active in biojet fuel development
What are sustainable biofuels
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Not all biofuels are created equal
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as defined by Quantas
 advanced jet turbine biofuel made from next generation biomass sources such as
algae, municipal waste streams, waste tree oil and specially selected types of
biomass energy crops which do not compete with food crops.
To be acceptable for commercial use, SAF must:
 Be certified in accordance with the aviation industry's stringent safety and
performance requirements
 Have a reduced lifecycle carbon emission compared to traditional fossil based jet
fuel as well as meet comprehensive sustainability criteria
 Be a 'drop-in' alternative to traditional fossil based jet fuel to avoid costly redesign of
engines, airframes or fuel delivery systems.
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
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 http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/sustainable-aviation-fuel/global/en
 http://renewablejetfuels.org/
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Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) definition
of sustainable biofuel
 Perform as well as, or better than, traditional
fossil fuel jet kerosene from a technical
perspective but with a smaller carbon lifecycle;
 Use only biomass feedstock sources that
minimise biodiversity impacts, require minimal
land, water, and energy to produce;
 Not compromise food security;
 Not jeopardise drinking water supplies;
 Provide socioeconomic value to local
communities where biomass is grown.
What are sustainable biofuels
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EUs definition of sustainable biofuels
 EU Directive 2009/28/EC (Renewable energy directive: RED) requires:
 Proof of sustainability of biomass:
- no production from no-go areas (high biodiversity or high carbon stocks),
- sustainability of production and operations
- monitor social sustainability and food security
 Raw material should not be obtained from :
-
wetlands
continuously forested areas
from areas with 10‐30% canopy cover
from peatlands
if the status of the land has changed compared to its status in January 2008
 GHG savings:
- biofuels and bio‐liquids must yield a GHG emission savings of at least 35%
- (50% from 2017, 60% from production started after 2017)
 Traceability and mass balance must be assured
What are sustainable biofuels
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What is included in the certification of sustainable biofuels?
“globally harmonized system streamlines international aviation operations
and helps to drive the adoption of sustainable aviation biofuel.” SAFUG
RSB Principles
1. Legality
2. Planning, Monitoring &
Continuous Improvement
3. Greenhouse Gases Emissions
4. Human & Labour Rights
5. Rural & Social Development
6. Food Security
7. Conservation
8. Soil
9. Water
10. Air
11. Use of Technologies, Inputs
& Management of Wastes
12. Land Rights
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
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Sustainability standards related to biomass and biofuels
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
Global
All biofuels and biomass
ISEAL
Global
Agricultural farms
ISEAL
Global
All biofuels and biomass
Global
Sugarcane
United States
Cellulosic biofuel
feedstocks
Global
Palm Oil
Global
Forest products
ISEAL
Global
Soy
http://renewablejetfuels.org/what-we-do/sustainability
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Baselines: How GHG for fuel is calculated can have consequences
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344909000500
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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953410004071
Indirect land-use change (ILUC) may need to be considered
Indirect land-use change (ILUC) occurs when the production of crops for biofuels in a given land
pushes the previous activity to another location. The use of the new location to place the
previous activity generates a land-use change attributable to the implantation of the biofuel crop.
In other words, if the crops needed to make a particular batch of biofuels crops are grown on
uncultivated land, this will cause direct land use change. If crops grown on existing arable land
are used to make biofuels instead of food, this will likely cause ILUC because of the necessity to
replace the food. Due to changes in the carbon stock of the soil and the biomass, indirect landuse change has consequences in the greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of a biofuel.
Climate regions data layer processed on the basis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change classification
What are sustainable biofuels
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 http://ies.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our-activities/support-for-eu-policies/indirect-land-use-change.html
How far can costs be pushed down?
Cost per
gallon
pyrolysis oil
What are sustainable biofuels
http://legacy.icao.int/sustaf/Docs/18_RichardAltman.pdf
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Trade… or will the fuel be used locally?
The potential for international trade in biojet fuels appears to be high …at a blend of
10%, the potential trade of biojet fuel will be between 36.8 and 57.5 Mt by 2050.
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FutureIndustrialBiorefineries_Report_2010.pdf
IEA report
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“The potential role of biofuels in commercial
air transport - biojetfuel”)
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Sustainable biofuels for the aviation industry will need
support from all stakeholders
Continued Advancement Needs:
 Government support for development of aviation biofuel consistent with international
trade commitments
 Policies designed to accommodate the specificities of aviation
 Global harmonised sustainability criteria
 Further research to develop sustainable feed stocks
What are sustainable biofuels
11.Sept 2012
 http://www.safug.org/assets/docs/SAFUG_Brochure.pdf
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Conclusions
 Biofuel sustainability criteria defined by the industry are challenging, but needed
 Proving sustainability will require certification and traceability systems – new systems
and added costs compared to fossil fuels
 Costs – current estimates are ca 2.8-3.7 USD/gallon (0.74-0.97 $/litre) (Bauen et al., (2009))
 Still a great degree of uncertainty over its production costs as aviation biofuels are
not currently being produced on a commercial scale
“There is no silver bullet and it is imperative that policy makers, governments,
universities, airlines, farmers, refineries and R&D work together to tackle the fuel
problems of the aviation industry. Major advances are also necessary in relation to
logistics, regulatory frameworks, quality control management and adoption of
appropriate sustainability certifications.”
(IEA report “The potential role of biofuels in commercial air transport - biojetfuel”)
What are sustainable biofuels
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Sustainability
Being able to understand and manage
sustainability risks and opportunities is
essential to the success of organisations in
the aviation industry.
DNV’s Sustainability services in aviation
include:
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Sustainability strategy development
Corporate Sustainability risk assessment
Certification of biofuels
Quality and traceability systems
Sustainability management and performance
benchmarking
Integrated HSEQ management systems
HSEQ assessment, auditing and certification
•
•
•
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What are sustainable biofuels
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Greenhouse gas emissions monitoring,
management, reporting and verification
Environmental Impact Assessment
Stakeholder management and
communication
Sustainability reporting advice and assurance
Supply chain risk management
Business continuity and crisis management
Safeguarding life, property
and the environment
www.dnv.com
What are sustainable biofuels
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