In Switzerland, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with Worley Consulting, has published a study demonstrating that sufficient sustainable aviation fuel feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
The study also identified significant barriers in using that feedstock for SAF production, namely the slow pace of technology rollout that would enable SAF to be produced from varied sources and competition with other potential users of the same feedstock.
Airlines will need 500 million tons of SAF to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as outlined in the IATA Net Zero Roadmaps. This can be achieved from two main sources, according to the study.
The report noted that biomass has the potential to produce more than 300 Mt of bio-SAF annually by 2050. Some of this potential could be limited by use for competing sources. This potential could be expanded by unlocking additional feedstocks or through efficiency gains and technology improvements over intervening decades, the study said.
Meanwhile, power-to-liquid will be required to reach 500 Mt of SAF production annually by 2050, IATA added.
“We now have unequivocal evidence that if SAF production is prioritized then feedstock availability is not a barrier in the industry’s path to decarbonization. There is enough potential feedstock from sustainable sources to reach net zero carbon emissions in 2050. However, this will only be accomplished with a major acceleration of the SAF industry’s growth. We need shovels in the ground now,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
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