Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ALTERNATE (ASSESSMENT ON ALTERNATIVE AVIATION FUELS DEVELOPMENT)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-07-01 al 2022-12-31
It is widely accepted that the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), with a Life-cycle carbon footprint substantially smaller than the present fossil-origin kerosene, is the most promising and probably the only short-medium time measure allowing the aviation industry to reduce its emissions. There is however the need to reduce the unknowns with regard to SAFs actual environmental and economic viability, in order to help leveraging SAFs utilization.
The objective of this Chinese and European cooperation project is to assess the possibilities for a wider SAF utilization, considering both technical and economic areas, including the use of novel feedstocks and sustainable production pathways in addition to the existing one.
One of the main obstacles for quantifying the air transport climate change impact lies within the development of a reliable and globally harmonized life cycle analysis (LCA) approach for the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from potential SAF supply chain. ALTERNATE will aim to evaluate new fuel candidates using improved modelling methods, considering (LCA) optimization, climate change effects and technical, economic and environmental consequences of their use.
ALTERNATE provides novel data on the per-unit and cumulative contribution of different alternative jet fuel pathways to the goal of carbon-neutral growth for aviation from 2020. The work in ALTERNATE will help to estimate the credits to be given under CORSIA to the different sustainable fuels that airlines may introduce. A similar application could be also used in different national and international Emission Trading Systems. Additionally, new feedstocks and pathways may accelerate SAF introduction, suggesting new regulatory techniques for helping an intensive use of these new fuels.
The objective of this Chinese and European cooperation project is to assess the possibilities for a wider SAF utilization, considering both technical and economic areas, including the use of novel feedstocks and sustainable production pathways in addition to the existing one.
One of the main obstacles for quantifying the air transport climate change impact lies within the development of a reliable and globally harmonized life cycle analysis (LCA) approach for the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from potential SAF supply chain. ALTERNATE will aim to evaluate new fuel candidates using improved modelling methods, considering (LCA) optimization, climate change effects and technical, economic and environmental consequences of their use.
ALTERNATE provides novel data on the per-unit and cumulative contribution of different alternative jet fuel pathways to the goal of carbon-neutral growth for aviation from 2020. The work in ALTERNATE will help to estimate the credits to be given under CORSIA to the different sustainable fuels that airlines may introduce. A similar application could be also used in different national and international Emission Trading Systems. Additionally, new feedstocks and pathways may accelerate SAF introduction, suggesting new regulatory techniques for helping an intensive use of these new fuels.
For the life cycle assessment (LCA) of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), new feedstocks of interest not currently covered by the CORSIA international aviation scheme were first identified by ALTERNATE. Life cycle inventory data were collected for these feedstocks. The methodology for LCA was also defined, designed to ensure compatibility with other international schemes for SAF such as CORSIA.
Alternative fuel production technologies for SAF have been selected, and the overall feedstock-to-fuel pathways have been determined.
Results indicate that SAF can provide between 21-85% GHG emissions benefits in comparison to fossil kerosene when emissions from land use change are not included. Main contributors to emissions are farming and fuel production steps. Parametric uncertainty can cause upto 28% variability in the GHG emission results. Emissions from land use change can negate potential savings from SAF, especially when forests or natural shrublands are lost. In addition, consequential LCA results indicated the importance of co-product modelling assumptions on induced land use change emissions.
With respect to the alternative aviation fuel composition requirements, a fuel database from the open literature has been created. Regarding the investigation on the drop-in fuel certification approach (tools & models), the objective is to highlight the fuel-dependent safety criteria. An analysis of the impact of fuel properties on aircraft operation (engine and fuel system) is underway.
Regarding the activity related to combustor and engine tests and models, an experimental data exploitation plan has been created.During the reporting period, the work planned included a laboratory study of emissions from different fuels using a liquid combustion standard generator (CAST).
Another important line of investigation concerns the utilization of sustainable fuel in commercial aviation and the airlines behavioural models. The work here has been concentrated in two areas: the descriptions of the different Market Based Measures (MBM) from a theoretical point of view and an exhaustive revision of the mechanisms to introduce sustainable fuels in commercial aviation, reviewing the regulations of the most active States in this field.
The last of the technical work packages is related to policy, regulations and operational optimization on the use of alternative fuel. The first part of this work package is the review of the present situation of the MBM application around the world, contained in a report already produced.
Finally, several dissemination and exploitation results have been achieved from early in the project development. The creation of the project website (www.alternateproject.com ) and its continuous update with relevant information related and about the project can be considered the most relevant one, but not the only one. On the other hand, the presence of the project on the Social Media, with an active account on Twitter and LinkedIn, is providing visibility to the project.
Alternative fuel production technologies for SAF have been selected, and the overall feedstock-to-fuel pathways have been determined.
Results indicate that SAF can provide between 21-85% GHG emissions benefits in comparison to fossil kerosene when emissions from land use change are not included. Main contributors to emissions are farming and fuel production steps. Parametric uncertainty can cause upto 28% variability in the GHG emission results. Emissions from land use change can negate potential savings from SAF, especially when forests or natural shrublands are lost. In addition, consequential LCA results indicated the importance of co-product modelling assumptions on induced land use change emissions.
With respect to the alternative aviation fuel composition requirements, a fuel database from the open literature has been created. Regarding the investigation on the drop-in fuel certification approach (tools & models), the objective is to highlight the fuel-dependent safety criteria. An analysis of the impact of fuel properties on aircraft operation (engine and fuel system) is underway.
Regarding the activity related to combustor and engine tests and models, an experimental data exploitation plan has been created.During the reporting period, the work planned included a laboratory study of emissions from different fuels using a liquid combustion standard generator (CAST).
Another important line of investigation concerns the utilization of sustainable fuel in commercial aviation and the airlines behavioural models. The work here has been concentrated in two areas: the descriptions of the different Market Based Measures (MBM) from a theoretical point of view and an exhaustive revision of the mechanisms to introduce sustainable fuels in commercial aviation, reviewing the regulations of the most active States in this field.
The last of the technical work packages is related to policy, regulations and operational optimization on the use of alternative fuel. The first part of this work package is the review of the present situation of the MBM application around the world, contained in a report already produced.
Finally, several dissemination and exploitation results have been achieved from early in the project development. The creation of the project website (www.alternateproject.com ) and its continuous update with relevant information related and about the project can be considered the most relevant one, but not the only one. On the other hand, the presence of the project on the Social Media, with an active account on Twitter and LinkedIn, is providing visibility to the project.
Research performed through ALTERNATE has been pushing further the state of the art by investigating new SAF feedstocks, which have not been previously evaluated under the internationally recognized CORSIA. The novelty of ALTERNATE also lies in combination of attributional and consequential LCA approaches for the estimation of life cycle GHG emissions considering both direct and indirect LUC. Combined with the exploration of uncertainties and other methodological aspects in the second phase of the project, this kind of analysis will help understanding the implications of methodological choices for SAF pathway evaluation.
Consequential LCA is usually praised for its capacity to capture some consequences of climate policies that are not identified in the sole attributional LCA. Within ALTERNATE the attributional LCA approach was augmented and linked to a full-fledged integrated assessment framework, by introducing all the life cycle inventory (LCI) parameters directly into the land use simulation method. Consequential LCA results quantified the impacts from changes in demand for alternative fuels, simulating the supply and demand responses across interrelated markets.
Overall, the research done within ALTERNATE should accelerate the inclusion of additional feedstock-to-fuel pathways to those already available, and complement the ongoing efforts by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other fora.
With respect to alternative aviation fuel composition requirements, the expected results are to have a clear vision about the variability of the fossil jet fuel properties and to highlight the gap with alternative fuels. This will give information on the possibility or not of using pure alternative fuels.
Work is being perfomed in ALTERNATE to provide emission data from different fuels and especially alternative fuels, to provide improved combustion models to be used with alternative fuels and to integrate these models in the certification procedure.
Lessons are extracted from the existing experience on mechanisms to introduce sustainable fuel in commercial aviation and an assessment of their impact on different airlines operational efficiency programs is being performed.
A study is being conducted on the practical problems and optimization policies for the management of sustainable fuels use by the different stakeholders (fuel companies, airports and airlines) in the operative planning.
Consequential LCA is usually praised for its capacity to capture some consequences of climate policies that are not identified in the sole attributional LCA. Within ALTERNATE the attributional LCA approach was augmented and linked to a full-fledged integrated assessment framework, by introducing all the life cycle inventory (LCI) parameters directly into the land use simulation method. Consequential LCA results quantified the impacts from changes in demand for alternative fuels, simulating the supply and demand responses across interrelated markets.
Overall, the research done within ALTERNATE should accelerate the inclusion of additional feedstock-to-fuel pathways to those already available, and complement the ongoing efforts by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other fora.
With respect to alternative aviation fuel composition requirements, the expected results are to have a clear vision about the variability of the fossil jet fuel properties and to highlight the gap with alternative fuels. This will give information on the possibility or not of using pure alternative fuels.
Work is being perfomed in ALTERNATE to provide emission data from different fuels and especially alternative fuels, to provide improved combustion models to be used with alternative fuels and to integrate these models in the certification procedure.
Lessons are extracted from the existing experience on mechanisms to introduce sustainable fuel in commercial aviation and an assessment of their impact on different airlines operational efficiency programs is being performed.
A study is being conducted on the practical problems and optimization policies for the management of sustainable fuels use by the different stakeholders (fuel companies, airports and airlines) in the operative planning.