Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Using pig fat as green jet fuel will hurt planet, experts warn
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), made from renewable biomass and waste resources, has the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel. It can be produced from a number of sources (including waste oil and animal fats, green and municipal waste, and non-food crops. The aviation industry estimates that SAF could contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach net-zero in 2050, which will require a massive increase in production. For example, it would need fat from 8,800 pigs to fly a commercial jet from New York to Paris. Apparently, there won’t be enough dead pigs even to supply a fraction of SAF. But if the airline industry tries to get more animal fat to meet the SAF usage target, like 10% by the UK and 6% by the EU, other industries that have been using those animal fats will get pressure and try to look for alternatives like palm oil. The problem is that to produce more palm oil, new plantations would be needed by clearing older forests that store carbon. Indeed, SAF itself is clean energy to fly airplanes but it seems to come at a cost.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how pig fat could help fly an airplane.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65727664
Using pig fat as green jet fuel will hurt planet, experts warn
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), made from renewable biomass and waste resources, has the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel. It can be produced from a number of sources (including waste oil and animal fats, green and municipal waste, and non-food crops. The aviation industry estimates that SAF could contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach net-zero in 2050, which will require a massive increase in production. For example, it would need fat from 8,800 pigs to fly a commercial jet from New York to Paris. Apparently, there won’t be enough dead pigs even to supply a fraction of SAF. But if the airline industry tries to get more animal fat to meet the SAF usage target, like 10% by the UK and 6% by the EU, other industries that have been using those animal fats will get pressure and try to look for alternatives like palm oil. The problem is that to produce more palm oil, new plantations would be needed by clearing older forests that store carbon. Indeed, SAF itself is clean energy to fly airplanes but it seems to come at a cost.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how pig fat could help fly an airplane.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65727664
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