On Monday 20 February, the European Commission’s DG Energy published the findings of a Commission-funded study conducted by the German Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Werk-und Betriebsstoffe and German airline Lufthansa. The study analyses the properties of kerosene blends used as aviation fuel that contain high proportions of advanced biofuels (fuels made from sustainable biomass) and considers which types of biofuels and blends are most suitable for use in the aviation sector.
The EU, which has set itself a goal of having 10% of energy used in the transport sector coming from renewable energy sources by 2020, is taking measures to increase the use of advanced biofuels in all types of transport, as they offer a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Since biofuels create fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels, this will help the EU meet its long-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 85-90% (compared with 1990) by 2050, the Commission says.
Aviation is the only transport sector that will have to rely exclusively on liquid hydrocarbon fuels for the foreseeable future. As a result, it is especially important to find ways to increase its use of biofuels. In 2011, the EU launched the European Advanced Biofuels Flightpath initiative, a partnership that aims to speed up the development of new biofuels and encourage the aviation industry to use them more.
The report of the study on biofuel-rich blends in aviation can be found at:
https://goo.gl/8jO8jI (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)