European Kerosene Production towards competitive SAF Supply

Kurzfassung

The ReFuelEU Aviation obligations for aviation fuel suppliers requires a steep increase in the European production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). All aviation fuel made available at each Union airport has to contain the minimum shares of SAF 6 percent in 2030 and 20 percent in 2035, including 1.2 resp. 5 percent synthetic aviation fuel. Investment decisions for each aviation fuel supplier towards sustainable feedstock processing and fuel production are overdue. Certified Alternative Jet Fuels are listed in ASTM D7566, with new process options expected soon. With DLR’s methodology of standardized techno-economic and ecological assessment of all SAF production routes the right option for each European refinery can be proposed. DLR uses its in-house software tool to maximize the process efficiency, identify cost drivers and to determine its environmental impact. For each SAF option and feedstock the technical potential and challenges, fuel production costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and abatement costs are provided. Detailed process models scaled to industrial plant size are available, optimized heat integration maximizes the process efficiency, cost estimation follows the standard chemical process cost engineering methodology and life cycle assessment (LCA) is performed based on standard methodology (ISO 14040/14044), providing the GHG abatement and additional environmental impact results.