S-E Asia raw materials capable of producing 12% of global green jet fuel needed by 2050
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The use of sustainable aviation fuel offers the largest potential to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon emissions over the next 30 years.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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SINGAPORE – Raw materials from South-east Asia have the potential to supply about 12 per cent of the total global green jet fuel needed to meet the aviation sector’s net-zero goals by 2050, according to a report released on Sept 3.
This amounts to about 45.7 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel every year by 2050, achieved through the processing of raw materials – also known as feedstock – such as rice husks, sugarcane and palm oil residues.
These figures were from a report on sustainable aviation fuel production in South-east Asia, commissioned in mid-2023 by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) – a collaborative network of global organisations pushing for sustainability and supported by aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
The report showed that rice husks and straw are the region’s top materials for the production of green jet fuel due to their high availability, taking up a 37 per cent share in available feedstock across Asean countries.
They present low environmental and social risks, such as deforestation and stress on water sources, as well as potential violations of human and labour rights.
Other top materials include municipal solid waste, sugarcane pulp and root starch.
The availability of raw materials in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines accounts for about 90 per cent of South-east Asia’s production capacity, according to the RSB study.
The use of sustainable aviation fuel offers the greatest potential to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon emissions over the next 30 years, Boeing said in a statement on Sept 3.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation – a UN agency that sets global standards and practices for air transport operations – aims for net-zero emissions for the aviation sector by 2050 and a 5 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 through the use of cleaner energy sources.
By the first quarter of 2025, the International Air Transport Association will also set up a sustainable aviation fuel registry
As at 2023, unblended green aviation fuel – fuel totally free of fossil fuels – made up just 0.2 per cent of the commercial fuel used globally, Boeing added.
In Singapore, the authorities have set a national target for green jet fuel to constitute 1 per cent of all aviation fuel used at Changi Airport and Seletar Airport in 2026. The eventual goal is to reach 3 per cent to 5 per cent sustainable fuel use by 2030.
To support this, the Government will impose a passenger levy on all passengers taking flights departing from Changi Airport from 2026, which will contribute to the bulk purchase of sustainable aviation fuel that airlines here will need to use.
Singapore is also home to energy giant Neste’s Tuas South refinery,
To promote the regional production of green jet fuel in future, the report recommends that governments implement policies that incentivise the production of sustainable aviation fuel.
This includes collaborations with regional governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations, as well as subsidies for industry-led green jet fuel production projects.
The report also suggests that industry players and researchers focus more on the development of sustainable aviation fuel using feedstock with higher availability and lower sustainability risks.
These include rice husks and sugarcane pulp, compared with palm oil and corn, which are less available and have higher sustainability risks.
Speaking to the media at a briefing on Sept 3, Mr Robert Boyd, Asia-Pacific regional sustainability lead at Boeing, said South-east Asia currently has enough feedstock to be self-sufficient to produce enough green jet fuel to serve the entire region’s current demand for jet fuel, assuming that the countries do not export their raw materials.
Responding to a question on whether the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel will lead to an increase in commercial flight prices, Mr Boyd said the cost will not increase dramatically as the roll-out of sustainable aviation fuel on commercial flights will be gradual and introduced in low amounts over the years.
