Recent Advances on Alternative Aviation Fuels/Pathways: A Critical Review

Nikolaos Detsios (), Stella Theodoraki, Leda Maragoudaki, Konstantinos Atsonios, Panagiotis Grammelis () and Nikolaos G. Orfanoudakis
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Nikolaos Detsios: Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4th km. Ptolemaida Mpodosakio Hospital Area, GR-50200 Ptolemaida, Greece
Stella Theodoraki: Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4th km. Ptolemaida Mpodosakio Hospital Area, GR-50200 Ptolemaida, Greece
Leda Maragoudaki: Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4th km. Ptolemaida Mpodosakio Hospital Area, GR-50200 Ptolemaida, Greece
Konstantinos Atsonios: Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4th km. Ptolemaida Mpodosakio Hospital Area, GR-50200 Ptolemaida, Greece
Panagiotis Grammelis: Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, 4th km. Ptolemaida Mpodosakio Hospital Area, GR-50200 Ptolemaida, Greece
Nikolaos G. Orfanoudakis: Laboratory for Technical Study, Design, Supervision, Efficiency and Evaluation of Thermal and Environmental Installations, Evripos Campus, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR-34400 Athens, Greece

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: The Paris Agreement’s objectives related to climate change put aviation under great pressure and environmental inspection. In particular, the aviation industry is committed to achieving a 50% reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. A shift to alternative aviation fuels seems imperative. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified the production of drop-in sustainable liquid fuels (SAFs) as the most promising strategy, at least short term, to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. Within this review, a critical summary of the current alternative aviation fuels/pathways is presented and a comparative analysis of the dominant technologies is performed considering techno-economic assessment, environmental evaluation, and future projections. The impact of the ‘ReFuelEU Aviation’ initiative on the current dominant policies and market incentives is assessed. Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis, alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) conversion, and e-fuel pathways are put under the microscope. A wide range of potential fuel selling prices (0.81–5.00 EUR/L) was observed due to the presence of multiple routes, while some pathways seem able to secure more than 90% emission savings compared to the fossil jet reference. The accelerated scale-up of SAF production is a reasonable demand for the aviation industry. The establishment of a sustainable scale-up framework and the alignment of all of the involved aviation stakeholders is an immediate challenge.

Keywords: SAFs; HEFA; FT synthesis; AtJ; e-fuels; aviation policies; review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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