Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Charles Dubouix Last update 23/06/2023

Alternative Fuels : Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)

Key take-aways

SAF or Sustainable Aviation Fuels are aviation fuels produced from biological waste.

They reduce CO2 emissions by 80%.

AirFrance offers the most mature SAF offering.

SAF is available on all AirFrance trades, with no operational constraints thanks to the Book And Claim Scheme.

The SAF provided by OVRSEA is a second-generation biofuel made from used cooking oils to avoid impacting agricultural lands and forests.

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OVRSEA does not profit from its green offers, and provides them at cost price.

Going Further

SAF (Sustainable Aviation Biofuel) is nothing more than biofuel for air freight

Biofuels are made from biological materials hence renewable. They allow for a more sustainable fuel supply compared to finite fossil fuels.

Biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels since they are part of a closed carbon cycle. Although burning them still releases CO2, this CO2 was originally absorbed from the atmosphere by the plants during their growth, effectively making it a 'net-zero process.

However, it is important to note that this does not take into account the CO2 emissions from the entire lifecycle of the fuel, including cultivation, harvesting, processing, and transporting the biodiesel. These activities can add to the overall greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels. Therefore, we cannot claim that biofuels emit -100% of CO2e emissions. Considering a life cycle analysis, SAF allow for an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to traditional aviation fuels (kerosene).

In contrast, kerosene adds to the atmospheric CO2 concentration because they release carbon that was stored underground for millions of years.

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OVRSEA SAF

The SAF provided by OVRSEA are 2nd generation biofuels manufactured from biomass – notably used oil and agricultural waste to avoid impacting agricultural lands and forests.

Carrier : AFKLM-Cargo

The difference between 1st generation and 2nd generation biofuels :

First-generation biofuels come from food crops and may influence food security due to competing land use.
Second-generation biofuels, derived from non-food crops or waste, lessen the impact on food security and land use, but require advanced production technology.

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Land use concerns … … arise from converting forests or agricultural land designated for food crops to biofuel crop cultivation, risking biodiversity and food security. Second-generation biofuels, derived from non-food crops or waste, present a solution as they reduce these impacts, being less dependent on arable land.

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The “next generation” of biofuels : Synthetic fuels Synthetic fuels, also known as power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels, are produced by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and combining it with hydrogen (H2) derived from water (H2O). They are a type of e-fuel. The process by which synthetic fuels are produced is a part of a broader field called carbon capture and utilization (CCU). The idea is to use captured CO2 and renewable energy to create carbon-neutral fuels. Currently, the main limitation is the cost of production. They are more expensive to produce than 2nd generation biofuels.

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More details

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