Climate change due to human-induced emissions is a significant challenge and limiting and reducing emissions have become a global priority. The aviation sector accounts for approximately 2% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions and 12% of emissions from transportation (www.atag.org). International aviation has aggressively targeted measures for reducing emissions which include improvement in fuel efficiency of 1.5% per year from 2009 to 2020; carbon neutrality by 2020; and a 50% reduction in emissions by 2050.
Biojet fuels represent the single greatest means for airlines to achieve significant, long-term reduction of emissions. Aviation is unique for its dependency on liquid fuels for today and into the foreseeable future. Research is underway to evaluate the feasibility of alternative technologies such as electric motors or liquid hydrogen for propulsion or in a fuel cell; however, these options are unlikely to be ready for commercial, large-scale and sector-wide deployment in the near term. An additional hurdle to such deployment is related to the long lifespan of aircraft and the high fleet renewal costs associated with the commercial aviation industry. Biojet fuels will be an essential measure to achieve the target of 50% reduction in aviation emissions by 2050.
