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Can Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF) Really Complement Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) towards EU Aviation Decarbonization?

Author

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  • David Chiaramonti

    (“Galileo Ferraris” Energy Department, Politecnico Di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
    Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Development (RE-CORD), Viale Kennedy 182, 50038 Scarperia e San Piero, Italy)

  • Giacomo Talluri

    (Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Development (RE-CORD), Viale Kennedy 182, 50038 Scarperia e San Piero, Italy)

  • George Vourliotakis

    (EXERGIA S.A., Energy and Environment Consultants, 10571 Athens, Greece)

  • Lorenzo Testa

    (“Galileo Ferraris” Energy Department, Politecnico Di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy)

  • Matteo Prussi

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy)

  • Nicolae Scarlat

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy)

Abstract

The present work provides an analysis of the potential impact of fossil-based Low Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF) for the European aviation sector, with a time horizon to 2050. LCAF are a crude-derived alternative to kerosene, offering some Green House Gas (GHG) savings, and have been defined by ICAO as eligible fuels for mitigating the environmental impact of aviation. A methodological framework to evaluate the EU technical potential for LCAF production is developed, based on data on crude utilization for jet fuel production in EU refineries, relevant carbon intensity reduction technologies, market prices, and aviation fuel volumes. Two different baselines for fossil-derived kerosene carbon intensity (CI) are considered: a global figure of 89 g CO2e /MJ and an EU-27-specific one of 93.1 g CO2eq /MJ. Three scenarios considering increasing levels of CI reduction are then defined, taking into account the current and potential commercial availability of some of the most relevant carbon intensity reduction technologies. The analysis demonstrates that, even if LCAF could offer GHG saving opportunities, their possible impact, especially when compared to the ambition level set in the most recent European legislative proposals, is very limited in most of the analysed scenarios, with the exception of the most ambitious ones. At 2030, a non-zero technical potential is projected only in the higher CI reduction scenario, ranging between 1.8% and 14.2% of LCAF market share in the EU-27 (equal to 0.6 to 4.75 Mtoe), depending on the considered Baseline for CI. At 2050, almost all considered scenarios project a larger technical potential, ranging between 6.9% and 22.2% for the global Baseline (2.21 to 7.13 Mtoe), and between 1.8% and 16.2% for the EU-27 Baseline (0.58 to 5.2 Mtoe). LCAF additional costs to current production costs are also discussed, given their relevance in large-scale deployment of these technologies, and are projected to range between 39 and 46.8 USD/toe.

Suggested Citation

  • David Chiaramonti & Giacomo Talluri & George Vourliotakis & Lorenzo Testa & Matteo Prussi & Nicolae Scarlat, 2021. "Can Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels (LCAF) Really Complement Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) towards EU Aviation Decarbonization?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-28, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:19:p:6430-:d:651797
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Prussi, Matteo & Lee, Uisung & Wang, Michael & Malina, Robert & Valin, Hugo & Taheripour, Farzad & Velarde, César & Staples, Mark D. & Lonza, Laura & Hileman, James I., 2021. "CORSIA: The first internationally adopted approach to calculate life-cycle GHG emissions for aviation fuels," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    2. Abdul-Manan, Amir F.N. & Arfaj, Abdullah & Babiker, Hassan, 2017. "Oil refining in a CO2 constrained world: Effects of carbon pricing on refineries globally," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 264-275.
    3. Dahal, Karna & Brynolf, Selma & Xisto, Carlos & Hansson, Julia & Grahn, Maria & Grönstedt, Tomas & Lehtveer, Mariliis, 2021. "Techno-economic review of alternative fuels and propulsion systems for the aviation sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. Chiaramonti, David & Talluri, Giacomo & Scarlat, Nicolae & Prussi, Matteo, 2021. "The challenge of forecasting the role of biofuel in EU transport decarbonisation at 2050: A meta-analysis review of published scenarios," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
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    1. Bell, Aron & Mannion, Liam Anthony & Kelly, Mark & Ghaani, Mohammad Reza & Dooley, Stephen, 2025. "Life cycle CO2e intensity of commercial aviation with specific sustainable aviation fuels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 382(C).

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