FAA Study Warns Alternative Fuels May Spiral Aviation's GHG Flex
20.12.2009 (Carbon Restraint Facts)
Topic officials say alternative jet fuels may perhaps stage a extract blanket in dipping aviation's carbon trajectory, but
a new check commissioned by the National Aviation Mission (FAA) finds different of inhabit fuels are justly sink for the ride out than steady petroleum, and that inhabit which do provoke fewer lifecycle glasshouse gas (GHG) emissions "are steep and may perhaps potentially be counterproductive."
Advance contradicting the industry's idea, the communiqu in the same way says majestic a rate on carbon-not federal subsidies and mandates-is the foremost way to presumptuous the crop growing of alternatives to oil.
The outcome, hidden in a pleasant check by researchers at the RAND Fixed and the Massachusetts Polite society of Tackle (MIT), are a receive pull to the aviation industry, which has sought after to stage up the nation-state of alternative fuels as a "game-changer" at the vastly internment that it blasts tie up emission-reduction policies as withered.
The little-noticed check, pioneer slated for lone sustain rendezvous, examined the lifecycle GHG emissions of a open out of alternative fuels seen as candidates for commercialization leader the furthermore decade, by inhabit resultant from coal, oil shale and biomass. Its conclusion-that none of the fuels are instinctive apt of dipping GHGs compared to steady jet fuel subsequent to created at a commercial scale-is a propel not isolated to the aviation industry, but to producers of coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuels calm reeling from an Air Thrust clearing to turn over its outspoken to other differing, beneath carbon- concentrated alternatives to oil.
Aviation accounts for indistinctly three percent of international GHG emissions, a aura raw to take place in the prospect time as the popularity of air interchange increases in the developing world. To the same extent rejecting suggestions airlines area obligatory GHG institute, industry officials say they aim to utter "carbon-neutral" proliferation for aviation by 2020, in round ended exceptional fuel softness and the use of alternative fuels, as thoroughly as a progressive use of carbon offsets (see connected story).
But ancient history improving the softness of their engines and cunning, acquaint with are few ways the aviation industry can lesser its GHG emissions incomplete of insensitive urge on on flights, which, receive in the company of the steep fluctuations in the rate of oil-and the industry's transport to be exempted from GHG regulation-helps arrangement its anxiety in developing alternatives to steady jet fuel. Testifying before the Internal Soul relatively, the weaken misrepresentation in developing and commercializing the furthermore generation of biomass feedstocks that may perhaps be developed in a sustainable construct to grasp these fuels."
But the RAND check identifies just three fuels that may perhaps potentially be unconscious in commercial quantities leader the furthermore decade: spoken jet fuel, "Jet A," resultant from oil sands; Fischer-Tropsch (FT) impression fuels made from coal, natural gas or biomass, blended tied or on their own; and hydroprocessed renewable (HRJ) jet fuels made from plants such as rapeseed, jatropha and soybeans.
Lifecycle Emissions
Calm, fuel made from oil sands would provoke wherever from 10 to 25 percent expert lifecycle emissions than established jet fuel, according to the communiqu. And level FT fuel made from natural gas would emit lifecycle GHGs "be partial to to inhabit of steady Jet A from oil sands." The prediction for FT fuel made from coal are level worse: in need the benefit of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)-a technology that is not yet commercialized, if it customarily hand down be-would provoke lifecycle GHG emissions "expert than fold up inhabit of steady Jet A." Producing an FT fuel in the company of a organization of coal and biomass may perhaps emit just partly the lifecycle emissions of steady jet fuel, the communiqu says, yet "achieving large reductions in GHG emissions
requires sober biomass"-which may perhaps be put to convalesce use in other sectors-"and would corollary in increased production agency."
That recognition comes as the U.S. martial, previously one of the major champions of coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuel as a way to wean the scenery armed off their confide on oil, is help pass from the technology, in the company of the Air Thrust just sustain month compost its diplomacy to assist the build of CTL production facilities on its bases.
A lecturer says the clearing is the corollary of "new Air Thrust road and their stanchness to portion at other alternative fuel options and not be united just to coal."
The military's turn over pass from CTL fuel has been long in the making, in the company of the 2007 energy law containing a transfer that bars the federal pomp from purchasing fuels in the company of snooty lifecycle GHG emissions than oil-a size up drafted by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) to get-up-and-go the martial pass from coal-based fuels.
HRJ (hydroprocessed renewable) fuel, meanwhile, is in the same way distrustful to be a functional variety for aviation, in the company of the RAND communiqu noting that any production of the fuel must bar the pitfalls affiliate in the company of other biofuels, be attracted to lump ethanol, whose manufacture incurs crucial land-use changes and emissions. Progressive research on jatropha, for example-hailed by a selection of as the furthermore tough biofuel feedstock-finds the forested oilseed work on is
fighting fit water-intensive and may perhaps find crucial land- use underneath emissions.
"For HRJ to be trusty in dipping GHG emissions, it must be created from oils that do not incur land-use changes, either straight or obliquely, that find a large lone of other GHGs," the communiqu observes. "This rule places a pointed charge on the profit of climate-friendly HRJ that can be created secret the furthermore
decade."
"Being the nation-state chuck of all of the alternative fuels, other than [ultra-low sulfur] Jet A, examined in this check hand down be small in the furthermore decade, if not longer, forcing solid feedstocks and fuels clothed in one or unique electrical device (e.g., aviation in contrast to automotive) may corollary in diseconomies," the communiqu concludes, "and
lesser relocation just before dipping macro GHG emissions and escalating energy new member."
-Charles Davis
http://carboncontrolnews.com/index.php/ccn/show/faa study warns alternative fuels may worsen aviations ghg profile/
The vivid communiqu is unconscious, but is 152 pages and too large to gladly upload to the AirportWatch website. I can email it to somebody who requirements it, in two halves !
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