Ask the expert: Billy Glover

Question: What is the Sustainable Aviation Fuels User Group and what does it seek to achieve?

Expert: Billy Glover, Managing director of environmental strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Aims of the group

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels User Group was set up because it is becoming increasingly important to find economically and environmentally progressive alternatives to fossil-based fuel sources.

Members of the group include airlines, companies and organisations that have all made the effort to come together for a shared purpose and common vision - to speed the commercialisation of sustainable biofuels for use in commercial aviation.

Our mission statement also indicates that we will support the development of government policies that promote the certification and commercial use of sustainable, lower carbon aviation fuels.

Furthermore, we have also committed to providing peer-reviewed research and best practices, including fuel lifecycle emissions assessments, which will support the practical application of common sustainability criteria.

Current projects

In terms of what we have commissioned already, the group has announced two initial sustainability research projects. Assistant Professor Rob Bailis of Yale University's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, through funding provided by Boeing, will conduct the first peer-reviewed, comprehensive sustainability assessment of jatropha curcas to include lifecycle CO² emissions and the socio-economic impacts to farmers in developing nations.

Similarly, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) will conduct a comprehensive assessment of algae to ensure it meets the group's stringent sustainability criteria. Additional projects will be announced at the appropriate junctures as we go forward. 

Group structure 

While we don't as yet have a formally elected chairman, Darrin Morgan from Boeing Commercial Airplanes has served as the primary organiser to this point, working directly with the technical focals for each airline. 

Of course, we are now only in the early stages of the process, but our hope is that scale-up and commercial distribution can allow sustainable biofuels to be used by all commercial aircraft routinely in five to seven years. Our announcement should therefore be seen as a strong first step in that direction.

Funding the projects

From a funding perspective, each project will be considered on a case-by-case basis as the group moves forward. So Yale University's jatropha curcas research is currently being funded by Boeing, while NRDC will fund the algae research.

Both species may potentially become part of a portfolio of biomass-renewable fuel solutions that, through advanced fuel processing methodologies developed by industry sector leaders such as Honeywell's UOP, can realistically help commercial aviation diversify its fuel supply chain.

We are also grateful in that we have support and advice from some of the world's most established environmental organisations, which include the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the NDRC.

Considering other options

At the moment, we aren't looking at other forms of sustainable fuels, as we believe that our efforts are currently best concentrated on fuels derived from biomass.

We also aren't actively seeking members. Our membership includes Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. As a result, the user's group comprises airlines that have all committed to helping drive commercial viability for sustainable biofuels.

All results from the research sponsored by the group will be shared publicly, and the group additionally encourages all other airlines to commit to sustainable biofuels development and use.

Once the group is fully established, it will decide which other parties have demonstrated commitment to sustainable fuel options and which organisations will be allowed to join. That's the price of entry.

Future prospects

As far as we are aware, this is the first self-guided effort among the major transport sectors. It's also worth pointing out that our group has pledged to only consider renewable sources that minimise biodiversity impacts: fuels that require minimal land, energy and water to produce, and don't compete with food or freshwater resources.

In terms of looking ahead, we would simply want to reinforce what we said during the announcement in that this is a tremendous opportunity for commercial aviation to take control of its future fuel supply in terms of origin, sustainability and environmental impacts.

That's critical for an industry that's not only dealing with highly volatile fuel costs, but one that's aggressively trying to improve its environmental performance.  

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM