Here’s why aviation industry is relying on used cooking oil as fuel – EQ Mag
The aviation industry has set itself an extraordinary goal: zero carbon emissions by 2050. And according to the latest report from NHK World, they may be able to achieve this goal with a raw material that was previously considered kitchen waste! The Japan-based media house NHK World recently interviewed a group of people who opened up about the relevance of used cooking oil.
The manager of a Tokyo izakaya, Tsuboi Yasuyuki, while speaking to the media, claimed that each month, his restaurant routinely consumes several 18-liter drums of cooking oil. He said he would normally pay a waste disposal company to pick up the used oil. However, he has now started getting inquiries from companies interested in getting it for free. Some even offer to pay them for it.
“We used to consider it wasteful,” Tsuboi said. “Now, people are asking us to take it off our hands, which is very strange.”
Because leftover cooking oil can now be used to create sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, there has been a significant increase in demand. In Japan, about a third of the 4,00,000 tons collected the previous year was used as fuel for jets and other types of vehicles, according to NHK World.
The aviation sector refers to fuel obtained from non-fossil sources as SAF. Although leftover cooking oil is the main material used in production, research is underway to find other possible sources of waste. If we talk about why the aviation industry is so dependent on used cooking oil or SAF, it is important that we mention that SAF is used to reduce carbon emissions.
International carriers must reduce their carbon emissions to almost nothing by 2050, according to a target set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in October. This was done in response to increasing public pressure on the aviation sector to lessen its environmental impact. According to experts from the Air Transport Action Group, the aviation sector produced 115 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2019. That represents about 2% of all global emissions.
In recent years, airlines have begun to minimize emissions. Shorter flight paths and more fuel-efficient aircraft are now used. However, according to NHK World, these actions are only likely to achieve emissions reductions of 20 to 30 percent of the ICAO target. Aircraft powered by hydrogen and electricity are also being developed by manufacturers, but they are still far from ready for use in commercial aviation.
Because of this, the aviation sector increasingly sees SAF as its savior. According to estimates, switching to SAF from conventional jet fuel would reduce emissions by nearly 80 percent. Due to the EU policy supporting SAF, the fuel is mainly used in Europe. However, a sizable plant is currently under construction in Singapore that will have an annual production capacity of one million tons, which is about five times the current world total of 200,000.
According to the NHK World report, Neste, a Finnish company that produces the largest amount of SAF in the world, is working on the concept. The corporation provides SAF to Japanese airlines through the trading company Itochu Corporation. Sami Jauhiainen, a Neste executive, said the plant is one component of his company’s efforts to expand the market and increase the use of SAF in Asia.
“The Asia Pacific region accounts for almost 40 percent of global jet fuel consumption, and it will continue to grow in the coming years and decades,” Jauhiainen told NHK World. “We will be well positioned to meet the needs and demands of customers across the Asia Pacific region from our production facility in Singapore.”
Earlier this year, a group of leading Japanese companies formed ‘Act For Sky’ to create and promote SAF. According to the NHK World report, major airlines All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines are among the members, as well as companies outside the aviation sector such as Itochu, Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The group’s main area of interest is the production of used cooking oil. The organization has established a list of companies ready to collaborate, including major fast food chains, frozen food producers, sushi franchises and hotels. JGC, Cosmo Oil and REVO International, three members of Act For Sky, are spearheading the initiative to manufacture SAFs nationwide. They are now building a facility in the city of Sakai, Osaka, with a three-year production target of about 30,000 tons. Although it is a relatively small sum, Japan has many more initiatives of this nature planned.
Establishing a domestic production base, according to Nishimura Yuki, a JGC executive involved in Act For Sky, is essential to ensure the long-term viability of the entire SAF project. “Currently, used cooking oil is sent abroad, processed at SAF, and brought back to Japan,” Nishimura said.
“Of course, exporting and importing produces carbon dioxide and costs money. So, given Japan’s national interests and goals for decarbonization, we need something different.” Countries are increasingly competing with each other to find alternatives to used cooking oil. Prices for this waste oil have skyrocketed as a result of increased demand, raising concerns of a supply shortfall. According to certain experts, wood and food waste can be used in SAF.
“I am determined to put all my effort into the development of national SAFs…so that people will no longer feel ashamed of flying,” Nishimura told NHK World. (AND ME)
Source: ANI
