How fried foods can revolutionize sustainable flights | The truth

They are not just croquettes. “We are talking about all types of vegetable oils or animal fats,” he explains. Carlos Díaz, responsible for Repsol's renewable fuels project. These are the ingredients of a type of SAF and “it is the most mature route currently and covers the entire current production,” Díaz details. “The problem is the availability of this raw material,” reveals the head of the Spanish energy company. Currently, according to data provided by the sector, 6.5 million liters of renewable aviation fuel were produced, far from the 6.64 million tons of kerosene used by airplanes in all of 2023. «The raw material “it is what it is,” he highlights Javier Gándara, president of the Association of Airlines (ALA).

Approximately, Repsol reveals, for every 100 liters of cooking oil, 97 of renewable fuel are obtained. «There are not enough fats to meet all the demand», warned the Transport & Environment (T&E) organization last year in a study titled 'Pigs fly: the rise of animal fats in European transport.'

According to this research, in which Ecodes and Ecologistas en Acción also participate, the use of biodiesel produced from animal fats has doubled in the last ten years and is 40 times greater than in 2006. «Almost half of European animal fats are already “They are destined for the production of biodiesel, although they are widely used in the animal feed, soap and cosmetics industries,” they add.

In recent years, liters of renewable fuel generated by vegetable oil or these fats have been gaining space in aircraft tanks. “The engines are prepared to carry a mixture of up to 50%,” says Ricardo Rojas, president of commercial aircraft at Airbus Spain. However, according to sector data, in 2023 the total SAF refueled on aircraft barely represented 0.1% of the total. “We are talking about a limited availability of raw materials,” recalls Díaz. “We know that it is finite and we have guaranteed the supply of these materials until 2030, now we are looking for new technologies,” he adds.

The eyes of energy companies are directed at agricultural, forestry and also municipal waste. “There are studies and estimates at the European level that tell us that the availability of this material is sufficient to cover all the needs until 2050,” reveals the head of Repsol's renewable fuels project. “The key is being able to scale and implement the technologies necessary to carry it out,” he adds.

A drop in the ocean

The European Union flight plan called RefuelEU obliges companies to refuel 2% of SAF in 2025, 6% in 2030, 42% in 2045 and 70% in the middle of this century. “It may seem very unambitious, but we must remember that of all the kerosene used before the pandemic, only 0.1% was SAF,” comments Gándara.

With the incorporation of this fuel, the sector hopes to reduce CO2 emissions by between 85% and 95%.

In Europe alone, airplanes generated approximately 172 million tons of CO2, which is equivalent to 4% of the total CO2 emitted on the continent, according to European Union estimates. The forecast, according to PWC in a study for the sector, is that, worldwide, emissions will reach 1,033 million tons of CO2 in 2050, with the majority coming from long-distance flights, despite the fact that medium distance are more numerous.

Short and medium-distance flights (flights of less than 4,000 km), especially the first ones, are in the focus of the authorities for their suppression. “Our clients demand it from us, society is demanding a change from us,” responds Carlos Díaz, director of Repsol.

In recent months, major airlines have been announcing agreements with energy companies to fill their tanks with sustainable aviation fuel. Iberia, together with Cepsa and Repsol, expects to operate 10% of its flights with SAF by the end of this decade. Ryanair has committed to reaching 12.5%.

“Right now if we could use 100% of SAF, aviation would be sustainable,” Teresa Parejo, director of sustainability at Iberia, told this newspaper a few months ago. “The infrastructure of our airports is available, because what currently exists is valid,” reveals Díaz. “An alternative infrastructure is not necessary,” she adds.

However, these figures are projections and promises. Currently, just over 200 commercial flights are carried out daily with SAF, in Spain alone 4,616 flights are operated daily, according to Aena. “We are focusing on kerosene, but aviation can also be decarbonized in other ways,” he recalls. Ricardo Rojas, president of commercial aircraft at Airbus Spain. “Yes, the SAF is the fastest way to decarbonize aviation, but aircraft are becoming more efficient,” he says. “We can have an efficiency improvement between generations of aircraft of 20-25%,” she adds. Although he points out that they are already working on other technologies such as hydrogen, “with the goal that in 2035 an airplane powered by this energy vector will be in service,” he warns.

The synthetic hope

In addition to filling SAF tanks and complying with the RefuelEU scales, Brussels has also set the percentage of synthetic biofuel that must be 1.2% in 2030; 2% in 2035; 5% in 2035 and 35% in 2050.

Synthetic fuels are those that are produced from carbon, hydrogen and electricity. The carbon comes from the capture of CO2; Hydrogen is mainly achieved by electrolysis of water. “We know that this technology works, but there is nothing on an industrial scale,” says Díaz.

One of those projects is Solarig's Numantia SAF in Castilla y León. With this plant, this company hopes to produce 60,000 tons of advanced SAF to decarbonize around 12,000 Madrid-Mallorca flights. Repsol is working along the same lines in Bilbao, but with a view to 2030. Cepsa is also joining them. “It is a unique opportunity for Spain and for the reconversion of the national energy industry,” warns Gándara.

This is indicated by the report that Iberia commissioned last year from PwC, which estimates that the waste available in Spain would allow the production of “more than 7 million tons” of different biofuels per year. To do this, he estimates that it would be necessary to install “between 27 and 35 biofuel and synthetic fuel plants” in Spain, which would be located in some communities particularly affected by depopulation.

According to this document, Andalusia, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha are the communities with the greatest SAF potential that will be necessary to cover the demand of Spanish aviation in the coming years, followed by Catalonia, Aragon and Extremadura. “We have to encourage investments and take advantage of European funds,” says Gándara. “This way we will be able to reduce the price of SAF, which is one of the biggest obstacles currently,” he adds.

“It is not the only problem,” they recall from the environmental sector. “More transparency is needed in the decarbonization of aviation,” add the authors of the report 'Pigs fly: the rise of animal fats in European transport'. “The origin is not specified in the signed agreements,” they warn. “The entire chain is audited by a third party, this is what Europe demands of us,” Díaz responds.