Are Sustainable Aviation Fuels a Viable Option for Decarbonizing Air Transport in Europe? An Environmental and Economic Sustainability Assessment

Abstract

The use of drop-in capable alternative fuels in aircraft can support the European aviation sector to achieve its goals for sustainable development. They can be a transitional solution in the short and medium term, as their use does not require any structural changes to the aircraft powertrain. However, the production of alternative fuels is often energy-intensive, and some feedstocks are associated with harmful effects on the environment. In addition, alternative fuels are often more expensive to produce than fossil kerosene, which can make their use unattractive. Therefore, this paper analyzes the environmental and economic impacts of four types of alternative fuels compared to fossil kerosene in a well-to-wake perspective. The fuels investigated are sustainable aviation fuels produced by power-to-liquid and biomass-to-liquid pathways. Life cycle assessment and life cycle costing are used as environmental and economic assessment methods. The results of this well-to-wake analysis reveal that the use of sustainable aviation fuels can reduce the environmental impacts of aircraft operations. However, an electricity mix based on renewable energies is needed to achieve significant reductions. In addition, from an economic perspective, the use of fossil kerosene ranks best among the alternatives. A scenario analysis confirms this result and shows that the production of sustainable aviation fuels using an electricity mix based solely on renewable energy can lead to significant reductions in environmental impact, but economic competitiveness remains problematic.

Sustainable energy ecosystems and renewable energy airport hydrogen storage systems under peak carbon and carbon neutrality targets

“…Energy storage and smart management: Researchers can further explore innovative energy storage technologies, such as high-capacity batteries, hydrogen storage, and underground storage, to address the volatility and intermittency of renewable energy sources 16 . Meanwhile, develop intelligent energy management systems that combine data analysis, artificial intelligence and IoT technologies to achieve real-time monitoring, optimization and adjustment of energy supply and demand, and improve the efficiency and reliability of airport energy systems.…”

Using Discrete-Event Simulation for a Holistic Aircraft Life Cycle Assessment

“…In the CC category, for example, in-flight combustion causes an impact eleven times higher than the fuel production. This is primarily due to emitted GHG emissions, particulate matter, and NO X , which are the main drivers in certain impact categories [88]. In other categories, such as ionising radiation and energy carriers, however, the share of fuel production exceeds that of its combustion for different reasons.…”

Complex Fuzzy Assessment of Green Flight Activity Investments for Sustainable Aviation Industry

“…In addition, the use of fossil fuel-based energy at airports [13] could be replaced to some extent by clean energy alternatives, thus further contributing to reducing carbon emissions. Barke et al [14] conducted an assessment of the decarbonization process in the European air transport sector. They determined that to ensure economic and social effectiveness, clean energy alternatives should be adopted by the aviation industry, concerning which the cost effectiveness of the related investment should be investigated.…”