The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S.
We analyze the economic and emissions impacts on U.S. commercial aviation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s renewable jet fuel goal when met using advanced fermentation (AF) fuel from perennial grasses. These fuels have recently been certified for use in aircraft and could potentially provide...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Technical Report |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95760 |
| _version_ | 1826193997734871040 |
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| author | Winchester, N. Malina, R. Staples, M.D. Barrett, S.R.H. |
| author_facet | Winchester, N. Malina, R. Staples, M.D. Barrett, S.R.H. |
| author_sort | Winchester, N. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | We analyze the economic and emissions impacts on U.S. commercial aviation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s renewable jet fuel goal when met using advanced fermentation (AF) fuel from perennial grasses. These fuels have recently been certified for use in aircraft and could potentially provide greater environmental benefits than aviation biofuels approved previously. Due to uncertainties in the commercialization of AF technologies, we consider a range of assumptions concerning capital costs, energy conversion efficiencies and product slates. In 2030, estimates of the implicit subsidy required to induce consumption of AF jet fuel range from $0.45 to $20.85 per gallon. These correspond to a reference jet fuel price of $3.23 per gallon and AF jet fuel costs ranging from 4.01 to $24.41 per gallon. In all cases, as renewable jet fuel represents around 1.4% of total fuel consumed by commercial aviation, the goal has a small impact on aviation operations and emissions relative to a case without the renewable jet fuel target, and emissions continue to grow relative to those in 2005. Costs per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent abated by using biofuels range from $42 to $652. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:48:57Z |
| format | Technical Report |
| id | mit-1721.1/95760 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:48:57Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/957602019-04-10T22:47:27Z The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. Winchester, N. Malina, R. Staples, M.D. Barrett, S.R.H. We analyze the economic and emissions impacts on U.S. commercial aviation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s renewable jet fuel goal when met using advanced fermentation (AF) fuel from perennial grasses. These fuels have recently been certified for use in aircraft and could potentially provide greater environmental benefits than aviation biofuels approved previously. Due to uncertainties in the commercialization of AF technologies, we consider a range of assumptions concerning capital costs, energy conversion efficiencies and product slates. In 2030, estimates of the implicit subsidy required to induce consumption of AF jet fuel range from $0.45 to $20.85 per gallon. These correspond to a reference jet fuel price of $3.23 per gallon and AF jet fuel costs ranging from 4.01 to $24.41 per gallon. In all cases, as renewable jet fuel represents around 1.4% of total fuel consumed by commercial aviation, the goal has a small impact on aviation operations and emissions relative to a case without the renewable jet fuel target, and emissions continue to grow relative to those in 2005. Costs per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent abated by using biofuels range from $42 to $652. This work is funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy) through Project 47 of the Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER). The Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and a consortium of government and industrial sponsors (for the complete list see http://globalchange.mit.edu/sponsors/all). 2015-03-03T19:23:32Z 2015-03-03T19:23:32Z 2015-02 Technical Report http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95760 Report 275 en_US MIT Joint Program Report Series;275 application/pdf MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change |
| spellingShingle | Winchester, N. Malina, R. Staples, M.D. Barrett, S.R.H. The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title | The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title_full | The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title_short | The Impact of Advanced Biofuels on Aviation Emissions and Operations in the U.S. |
| title_sort | impact of advanced biofuels on aviation emissions and operations in the u s |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95760 |
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