FAA research grants aim to tackle aviation’s massive deficit of greener fuel

The FAA Thursday announced a series of new university research grants in hopes of making greener aviation fuel cheaper and less scarce. Airlines including United, Southwest, Delta, American and others around the world have turned to sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, to get to zero carbon emissions by 2050. Battery-powered aircraft and other technologies are still years away, making greener fuel a pillar of those efforts. “Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize,” said Michael Wolcott, a materials engineer and one of the university coordinators of the FAA-funded research. Challenges include high capital investment and the long life cycle of aircraft, he said. Aviation contributes between 2% and 3% of global carbon emissions and the industry expects to grow in the coming years, forcing it to balance its expansion with its own ambitious carbon-cutting targets. Carriers have already made purchase commitments for the fuels, such as those made with cooking oil or municipal waste, which according to the IATA can produce 80% lower emissions than conventional jet fuel. “There isn’t an airline CEO that I’ve spoken to in the last six or 12 months that does not want to fly SAF,” John Slattery, CEO of airline engine giant General Electric Aviation, told reporters last week. Supplies are extremely limited. Sustainable aviation fuels account for much less than 1% of the industry’s jet-fuel demand and can cost more than triple the price of conventional fuel. In September, the Biden administration launched a initiative to boost sustainable aviation fuel to 3b gallons a year by 2030.<br/>