Fact Sheet: Alternative Fuels

• The aviation industry is exploring reliable alternatives to kerosene that are sustainable and have a smaller carbon footprint.
• Current requirements of jet fuel
• Not freeze at cold temperatures (Jet A -40˚C, Jet A1 -47˚C)
• Not form deposits in the high temperature portion of the engine
• Have high energy content (min 42.8 MJ/kg)

Bio-fuels 1st Generation

• Produced from the sugars, starches, oils or fats of agricultural products using conventional technologies. 
• Compete for land and/or water with food production (corn, soybeans, sunflowers) 
• Can cause deforestation, fresh water abuse and/or soil depletion. 
• Most 1st generation bio-fuels do not meet all specifications for aviation fuel

Bio-jet Fuels new or 2nd Generation

• Made from sustainable, non-food biomass sources such as algae, switch grass, jatropha, babassu and halophytes.
• Algae are simple, photosynthetic plants
• Can be grown with polluted or salt water 
• Can produce up to 250 times more oil than 1st gen soybeans. 
• Jatropha reclaims wasteland, is a natural fence for crops and grows in poor soils.
• Halophytes grow on salt ground, where nothing else grows well. 
• Switchgrass, a hardy grass, needs little water and produces a high output of biomass. 
• Babassu is a native-growing Brazilian tree with a high oil-yield nut
• Camelina is an energy crop that grows in rotation with wheat and other cereal crops
• Lifecycle Green House Gas (GHG) emissions up to 80% lower than traditional jet fuel emissions.

Alternative fuels in practice among airlines

• Airbus flew a A380 in 2008 with one engine powered by FT Gas to Liquid fuel
• Virgin Atlantic flew a Boeing 747-400 on 23 February 2008 with one engine operating on a 20% bio-fuel mix of babassu oil and coconut oil
• Air New Zealand flew a Boeing 747-400 with one engine on 50% jatropha derived bio-fuel and 50% kerosene on 30 December 2008
• Continental Airlines flew a Boeing 737-800 with one engine using 50% jet fuel and 50% algae and jatropha mix on 7 January 2009
• JAL flew a 50% bio-fuel (camelina, jatropha and algae) and 50% kerosene mix on a Boeing 747-300 with P&W engines on 30 January 2009

IATA position on bio-fuels

• IATA recognises that aircraft are long-lived assets and will be using kerosene or kerosene type fuels for many years to come. 
• It supports research, development and deployment of sustainable bio-fuels that
• Offer net carbon reductions over their life cycle
• Do not compete with fresh water requirements and food production
• And don’t cause deforestation or other environmental impacts such as biodiversity loss 
• While international fuel specification for bio-fuels doesn’t yet exist, IATA is working with industry partners towards agreed production standards and test and certification requirements.
• We could see certification as early as 2011
• Against this background, IATA’s goal is for its airline members to be using 10% alternative fuels by 2017.

Updated June 2009