Airbus bets on mix to zero emissions, but fears lack of green fuel

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The saying illustrates how Airbus has managed its decarbonisation strategies. In the absence of an established green propulsion technology in the market, the world’s largest aircraft maker has been investing in almost every potential alternative, in an attempt to get ahead when the sustainable turn comes.

Aviation currently accounts for around 3% of global emissions, mainly from kerosene engines. Pressured by the climate agenda, the sector has some bets up its sleeve, such as SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), green hydrogen and electrification.

However, these are options that are still under development, and the path until all technological, regulatory and pricing challenges are overcome could be a long one.

Airbus has the goal of being net zero (neutralizing all its pollutant emissions) by 2050, but intends to place a zero-emissions aircraft on the market before that, in 2035. To fulfill the commitments, the French manufacturer has distributed its tokens.

In early December, the company gathered dozens of journalists to show how it is working on the sustainable agenda. At the opening of the meeting, which took place in Toulouse, southern France, the CEO of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, highlighted three strategies: to manufacture more efficient aircraft to reduce fuel consumption, to operate with 100% SAF by 2030 and to allow commercial flights with hydrogen by 2035.

Electrification of the fleet and use of hybrid aircraft are also in the flight plan, forming a green mix that Airbus’ director of technology, Sabine Klauke, says is essential for the company to meet its climate goals. According to her, a single alternative will not be enough to zero emissions. “We need everything.”

Currently, all aircraft that Airbus delivers are already certified to operate with 50% SAF. The fuel takes its name because it is made from sustainable materials, such as plants, forest residues, clothing scraps and even oil used to fry chickens and potatoes.

SAF has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80%, but today its use represents just 1% of all fuel used in aviation. Low availability is one of the main causes.

In 2021, for example, only 100 million liters of the product were manufactured, which is a tiny fraction close to the industry’s global demand of billions of liters.

Another problem is costs. The cheapest SAF costs three times more than traditional kerosene. Depending on the material, the proportion can reach eight times.

The Finnish Neste is the largest producer of sustainable fuel in the world. During the Airbus event, the company spoke about the production challenges and said that the sector needs help to be able to meet the aviation demand.

Thorsten Lange, vice president of Neste, called for the world to move forward with regulation and subsidies for the industry. According to him, it is necessary to invest over US$ 1 billion a year to increase the SAF’s productive capacity.

Green hydrogen is on the radar, but availability is a concern

In addition to the SAF, Airbus is working to produce planes powered by green hydrogen. In February, for example, the French manufacturer announced its plan to test a hydrogen-powered engine on the A380 superjumbo, the largest passenger plane in the world.

This is a point that distances Airbus from its main competitor, Boeing. The American bets more on the SAF and, recently, declared skepticism regarding the viability of hydrogen as a fuel for commercial aviation.

There are two ways in which hydrogen can be used as an energy source for aircraft propulsion. The first, and most conventional, is through the combustion of hydrogen in a gas turbine, which requires more cooling capacity and larger fuel tanks.

There may be a need to place the extra reservoirs inside the planes, which would take up space in the passenger cabin. Currently, aircraft fuel is carried on the wings.

The second option is to use fuel cells to convert the gas into electricity to power a propeller engine.

Airbus bets on both alternatives. Recently, the company started to develop an engine with battery cells, which should be tested in flight by the end of this decade.

The capsule, whose prototype was presented during the event, uses liquid hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere to generate electrical energy used in the engines. Four capsules would be needed to power a plane with capacity for up to one hundred people.

At the moment, the company says it is evaluating which technology makes the most sense – whether it is direct combustion or fuel cells. Which option will be used on the aircraft is something to be decided later.

For now, Airbus has been looking at ways to help bring the green hydrogen industry to maturity. The manufacturer is studying the construction of material factories to facilitate the transport and storage of fuel at airports.

As with SAF, availability can be an issue. The Airbus CEO expressed concern about the offer and said that the scenario could even delay the delivery of a hydrogen-powered aircraft scheduled for the end of this decade.

In early December, the governments of Spain, France and Portugal announced the creation of an underwater pipeline system to bring green hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe.

SAF and green hydrogen also light environmental alerts

In February, the European aviation sector came together to set climate goals, with the main objective of reaching net zero by 2050. Estimates are that between 50% and 60% of the reduction in emissions will come from the use of alternative fuels. However, despite the efforts, the sector needs to advance further.

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, a US-based NGO, praised the efforts of airlines during the event, but warned that change is not happening fast enough and that it is necessary to be aware of some issues on the climate agenda.

It is important, for example, to ensure that SAF production does not occupy areas that would be destined for food production, or cause deforestation.

The environmentalist also said he was skeptical about there being enough biomass to produce all the SAF that aviation needs. It would take billions of tons a year, and today we haven’t even reached the million mark.

On hydrogen, Krupp mentions the concern about the gas leaking —during transport or storage, for example. According to him, studies indicate that hydrogen can have a strong impact on the greenhouse effect, something still little studied, since the industry is relatively new.

Krupp defends the creation of a system that limits aviation emissions, in addition to investments in more efficient aircraft and sustainable fuels — provided that with strict standards. In his view, the sector needs to make even more efforts in this direction if companies want to keep their licenses to operate. “Aviation emissions are growing at 3.6% a year, which means they will double in 20 years”, he pointed out.