EUBCE 2026 - Marcos Djun BARBOSA WATANABE - Pathways to Low-Carbon Aviation: Comparative GHG intensities from Syngas-, Biocrude-, and Alcohol-to-Jet SAF Production routes

Pathways to Low-Carbon Aviation: Comparative GHG intensities from Syngas-, Biocrude-, and Alcohol-to-Jet SAF Production routes

Short Introductive summary

This work provides a comprehensive review of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production routes, analyzing life cycle assessments (LCAs) published over the past decade. The analysis focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities as the main metric for comparing SAFs to fossil jet fuel, aligning with decarbonization policies such as ReFuelEU Aviation and CORSIA. The study emphasizes European cases while including global data, particularly from Mission Innovation countries. Key pathways assessed include syngas-to-SAF, biocrude-to-SAF, and alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) routes. Screening SAF value chains shows that syngas-to-SAF offers the lowest GHG emissions, especially using agricultural or forestry residues. Biocrude-to-SAF performance depends on heating fuel and hydrogen source, with green hydrogen reducing impacts. For ATJ routes from second-generation feedstocks, literature indicates significant emission reductions compared to fossil kerosene. These results stem from the ICARUS project (International Cooperation for Sustainable Aviation Biofuels), funded by Horizon Europe, which also provides preliminary insights into SAF climate impacts from HTL of microalgae cultivated in wastewater.

M.D. Barbosa Watanabe, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NORWAY
V.P. Ballal, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NORWAY
T.F. Lopes, Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG), Lisbon, PORTUGAL
F. Cherubini, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NORWAY