By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Boeing and Israel’s Technion university said on Tuesday they were beginning to develop Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from feedstocks including green hydrogen and carbon dioxide to enable the aviation sector’s long-term growth.
SAF, made largely from waste or used cooking oil, can cut emissions significantly compared with traditional jet fuel. However, it remains two to five times more expensive than conventional fuel.
Boeing and Technion said following the completion of an initial feasibility phase, development was set to begin and move towards “competitive commercial production.”
Boeing has committed to delivering commercial airplanes capable of flying 100% on SAF by 2030, while the commercial aviation industry seeks to achieve zero net emissions by 2050.
Although airline industry leaders have pointed to a wave of new SAF initiatives they say will spark a boom similar to the rapid rise of electric vehicles and solar energy, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global body that represents 340 airlines, forecast SAF would account for only 0.7% of total jet fuel in 2025, and the 2050 target could be missed.
Boeing said the process to develop SAF on a large scale could still take a few years. SAF can be made from a variety of sources such as cover crops and other non-edible plants, agricultural and forestry waste, non-recyclable municipal waste, industrial plant off-gassing and other feedstocks
Separately, Boeing and Israel’s Ben-Gurion University said they were establishing a cybersecurity research centre for next-generation aviation and aerospace systems.
Boeing Global President Brendan Nelson, currently in Israel, said the company was working to “enhance energy security, support the growth of the civil aviation industry, and create new economic opportunities through sustainable aviation fuel and other technologies.”
Technion President Uri Sivan said it was on a mission to develop technologies for producing clean fuels that would make a “significant contribution to aviation—and no less importantly, to human health and the environment.”
(Reporting by Steven ScheerEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
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