1. No category

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS FORUM
20th – 22nd October 2014 in Madrid, Spain
SUMMARY CORE-JetFuel Day
October 20th 2014
1
Forum Background
The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Forum in Madrid on 20th – 22nd October 2014 was jointly
organised by the projects CORE-JetFuel, FORUM-AE and ITAKA.
This Sustainable Aviation Fuels Forum focused on recent progress and important steps
forward in the field of sustainable fuels for aviation.
This event brought together stakeholders to share experiences and views, to exchange
best practices, to evaluate emerging issues and to jointly elaborate recommendations
towards the successful future development of sustainable aviation fuels. By emphasizing
the cooperation between experts and relevant players in the field of sustainable alternative
fuels for aviation, the workshop sets out to implement long-lasting, fruitful synergies and a
vivid exchange of knowledge between the participants.
This joint event consisted of three workshops, each organized by one of the three projects
CORE-JetFuel, FORUM-AE and ITAKA (see Annex 3 for a brief description of the projects).
Forum Organisation Committee
[email protected]
Rainer Janssen, Dominik Rutz
WIP Renewable Energies
[email protected]
Olivier Penanhoat
Snecma
[email protected]
Xavier Vancassel
Onera
[email protected]
Inmaculada Gómez
SENASA
[email protected]
Forum Summary
Day 1, prepared by: R. Janssen, D. Rutz, J. Michel,
Forum Presentations
All presentations are available at the websites:
http://www.core-jetfuel.eu/Shared%20Documents/presentations.html
http://www.itaka-project.eu/Shared%20Documents/presentations3.html
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
2
FORUM SUMMARY
Day 1 – 20 Oct. 2014: CORE-JetFuel
Perspectives of alternative fuels for aviation – evaluation of
existing and promising production pathways
Opening Session
After a brief welcome by María de la Rica Jiménez,
Servicios y Estudios para la Navegación Aérea y la
Seguridad Aeronáutica (SENASA), the CORE-JetFuel
Day of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Forum in Madrid
was officially opened by Isabel Maestre Moreno,
Director of the Spanish Air Safety Agency. It was
indicated that the Spanish administrations had
supported the development of alternative fuels, which
had been demonstrated through their support to the
Spanish Biokeroseno initiative. Mrs. Maestre Monero
introduced the contents of the event and the fact that the Forum aimed to address the key
aspects required for the implementation of sustainable biofuels for aviation. The objective
to be addressed during the forum was to gather and discuss the latest information and
trends within the aviation biofuels sector in order to design suitable strategies to achieve
the binding objectives set by the European Union. The Spanish Ministry of Public Works
and Development (through the Spanish Air Safety Agency, AESA), was pleased to
participate in an event with such goals, since they coincide with those of the
Bioqueroseno.es initiative. Finally she thanked the project coordinators and organizers of
the event from the three participating projects.
Johannes Michel, coordinator of the CORE-JetFuel
project, Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.
(FNR), Germany presented an overview of activities and
results of the CORE-JetFuel project. Mr. Michel first
introduced to the auditorium the main objectives of the
project as well as important background information. After
presenting the assessment of research and innovation in
the field of alternative fuels for aviation the CORE-JetFuel
Consortium is conducting on project and technology level
in the project’s four thematic domains, Mr. Michel
highlighted the importance of the project’s Stakeholder Working groups for CORE-JetFuel
and its outcomes. He especially emphasized the importance of the Sustainable Aviation
Fuels Forum, which marked the first CORE-JetFuel stakeholder workshop and therefore an
important milestone in the project’s progress. Lastly, Mr. Michel wished all participants a
successful workshop with fruitful discussions, interesting presentations and a vivid
exchange of ideas and knowledge, which will influence the focal areas of CORE-JetFuel
and the work conducted therein.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
3
Session 1 – Policies on Alternative Fuels for Aviation
Panel Discussion on “Global Harmonization of Sustainability and Policy
Frameworks”
This panel discussion aimed to provide an overview on global actions to promote
sustainable alternative fuels for aviation and to discuss existing related policy options,
incentives and regulation. Focus was placed on steps taken for global harmonization and
future needs on this regard.
Moderation: César Velarde, ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau, DGCA Indonesia
Panellists:
 Philippe Novelli, Environmental Branch – International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO)
 Ruta Baltause, Policy Officer, European Commission - DG ENER, Unit C1 –
Renewables and CCS Policy
 Olivier Dubois, Senior Natural Resources Officer & Leader Energy Team. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
 Uwe Fritsche, International Institute for Sustainability Analysis and Strategy
(IINAS), Germany
 Jim Hileman, Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor for Environment and Energy.
Federal Aviation Administration – United States of America
 Alexandre Filizola, Regulation Specialist, Brazilian Civil Aviation National Agency
(ANAC)
 Sayuta Senobua, Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – Indonesia
From the US perspective Jim Hileman, Federal Aviation Administration, underlined the
importance of alternative aviation fuels to contribute to GHG emission reduction targets and
to improve overall sustainability of the aviation sector, as well as to enhance energy
security and rural economic development. Focus is placed on the production of drop-in
fuels and operational safety through the establishment of public-private partnerships and
knowledge centres. Currently, the high costs of alternative aviation fuels are the main
limiting factor towards large-scale deployment. Further research efforts are thus urgently
needed to identify main cost drivers and to find ways to reduce costs of alternative aviation
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
4
fuels below 4 USD per gallon1. Prices will go down as more facilities producing alternative
aviation fuels come online due to economies of scale.
In the US, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, created under the Energy Policy
Act (EPAct) of 2005, established a renewable fuel volume mandate including separate
volume requirements for advanced biofuels. Incentives for renewable fuels under the RSF
are established through the Renewable Identification Number (RIN) system. Today, an
alternative aviation fuel production facility for HEFA (Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty
Acids) is in operation in Louisiana and further facilities are under construction using
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and forest residues as feedstock. Bio-jet fuels from these
facilities will cost less than 3.50 US$/gallon and will provide 50 – 80% GHG emission
reduction compared to fossil jet fuels.
Alexandre Filizola, Brazilian Civil Aviation National Agency, reported that the Brazilian
ethanol programme was launched as early as 1975 in response to the first oil crisis in order
to ensure supply security of transport fuels. The role of the Government within the
programme was to ensure demand through guaranteed off-take of the produced ethanol
assuring investment security for producers as well as fuel availability for end consumers. In
addition, in 2005 the Brazilian National Biodiesel Program (PNPB) was launched
mandating B2 (2% biodiesel blended in diesel oil) from 2008. Currently, B7 blending is
used in the Brazilian road transport sector.
Until today, Brazil does not have a specific policy for alternative aviation fuels, however
initiatives exist on state level. As member of the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), Brazil supports its goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020 as well as the
development of harmonised standards for monitoring, reporting and verifying emissions
from aviation.
Olivier Dubois, FAO, emphasised the importance of bioenergy policies to embrace
complexities of bioenergy value chains and avoid simplifications. Policy development needs
to be based on existing good practices (e.g. multi cropping and crop rotation systems) and
duly take into account the wealth of different site specific framework conditions which are
not appropriately covered by modelling exercises (such as modelling of indirect land use
changes).
With respect to (mandatory) targets for alternative fuels, Mr Dubois promoted the
implementation of moderate targets which may later be increased in case of over-fulfilment.
Sustainability certification shall not exclusively rely on compliance with a set of criteria, but
also acknowledge performance evolution and progress achieved towards the long-term
sustainability goal.
The EU biofuel policy development towards 2020 and beyond was presented by Ruta
Baltause, European Commission - DG ENER. Reflecting the Council’s position in June
2014, the revision of the biofuel legislation (“ILUC proposal”) is expected to place a 7% cap
on food-crop based biofuels, to introduce a non-legally binding sub-target of 0.5%
advanced biofuels, and to include multiple counting schemes for cellulosic materials and
electricity use in transport. Further initiatives promoting advanced alternative fuels on EU
1
Fossil Jet Fuel: 2,09 US$/gal. (Index Mundi, Dec. 2014: http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=jet-fuel)
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
5
level include research and innovation funding under the programme Horizon 2020 and the
industry led Biofuel Flightpath initiative.
With respect to the 2030 energy and climate policy, transport is fully integrated in the 2030
GHG reduction (40%) and RES (27%) targets, however specific targets no longer exist for
the transport sector. Food-based biofuels should not receive public support after 2020 and
focus shall be placed on improving the efficiency of the transport system and further
development and deployment of electric vehicles and advanced biofuels.
Ms Baltause acknowledged that incentives are needed for the promotion of advanced
biofuels. However, the implementation of effective and appropriate incentives is a difficult
task and the proposed multiple counting schemes as well as the inclusion of aviation in the
Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) may not be sufficient to trigger large-scale deployment.
The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations
engaged in the development of policies and standards for the aviation sector. Philippe
Novelli, ICAO Environmental Branch, highlighted the importance of alternative fuels
within ICAO’s goal to reduce the impact of aviation on climate.
Alternative aviation fuels have become a globally-discussed topic starting with the 2009
ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels in Rio de Janeiro. In 2012, the
SUSTAF (Sustainable Alternative Fuels) Expert Group was created to develop
recommendations relating to on-going challenges in the development and deployment of
sustainable alternative fuels for aviation. Furthermore, in 2013 the Alternative Fuels Task
Force (AFTF) was formed within the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection
(CAEP) with the main objective to evaluate the range of potential GHG emission reductions
from the use of alternative fuels in aviation to 2050 and to develop guidelines for the global
harmonization of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies. Finally, ICAO is engaged in
the establishment of a database documenting the status quo and future perspectives of
production pathways for alternative aviation fuels for which cooperation between ICAO and
the CORE-JetFuel project is considered beneficial.
Uwe Fritsche, IINAS, emphasized the competition for biomass raw material among a
variety of different sectors (material use, heating and cooling, electricity, traditional use of
wood fuels in developing countries). Large scale deployment of alternative biomass-based
fuels for aviation is only possible if the demand for biomass is reduced in other sectors.
Robust policy guidance and coherence among policies in different sectors is therefore
needed to prioritise biomass use.
Furthermore, sustainability does not only address greenhouse gas emissions. Globally
harmonised key principles for sustainability, including social and biodiversity aspects, need
to be agreed upon leading to the identification of a sustainable potential of biomass
feedstock. Such sustainability safeguards need to be established to help avoid
unsustainable practices for the production of biomass.
Sayuta Senobua, Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA), presented the aviation
biofuel programme in Indonesia. In 2012, a national action plan for aviation biofuel and
renewable energy implementation was launched with the objective to develop policies and
regulations, to create human resources and to introduce a 2% use of biofuels in the
aviation sector in 2016. The Indonesia Aviation Biofuel & Renewable Energy Task Force
(ABRETF) was established in 2014 and up-coming initiatives include a flight from Seattle to
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
6
Jakarta with a 5-10% biofuels blend in May 2015 as well as the organization of the 2 nd
Indonesia Green Aviation Conference (IGAC) in July 2015.
Biofuels for the non-binding 2% blending target shall be produced from palm and coconut
feedstock based on voluntary agreement with stakeholders. Currently, the construction of a
bio-refinery in Indonesia is not foreseen.
César Velarde, ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau, DGCA Indonesia, launched the
plenary discussion with the statement that although sustainable alternative fuels for aviation
have already demonstrated their technical feasibility and many global airlines have flown
using alternative fuels, until today industrial-scale availability and economic
competitiveness have not yet become a reality.
Within the CORE-JetFuel Working Group on Policies and Incentives, the lack of specific
and coherent policies incentivizing the scale-up of alternative aviation fuel production, has
been identified as one of the main barriers hindering the large-scale market up-take of
alternative aviation fuels.
The following contributions from panellists and the forum audience are highlighted with
respect to options for suitable policies and incentives for large-scale market up-take
of alternative aviation fuels.

Short-term market incentives need to be established to promote deployment of
new technologies. Such incentives need to create business cases for the private
sector and facilitate technological learning curves leading to significant cost
reductions. However, market incentives need to be reduced and phased out over
time in order not to lead to permanent market distortions. A good example is
provided by the electricity feed-in tariff system, whereas often quota systems are
not successfully promoting market deployment.

Stable policy frameworks and a minimum guarantee of 5 years for incentives
are crucial for ensuring investment security. In particular, support is needed for firstof-a-kind facilities to reduce investment risk. Such support may involve the
establishment of public-private partnerships.

Off-take agreements at minimum selling prices for a guaranteed period of
time (5-10 years) are important to reduce private sector risks.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
7

Policies need to promote good practices and acknowledge performance and
progress achieved. The use of flexible feedstock crops for the production of food
and fuels shall be promoted.

Before establishing mandatory targets for biomass-based alternative fuels it is
recommended to first assess the sustainable potential of biomass feedstock.

Policies ensuring sustainability of biofuels shall focus on land use in order to
address the challenges such as food security, deforestation and land grabbing.
Feedstock not involving land use shall be promoted.

Due to the international nature of the aviation sector harmonization is urgently
needed with respect to the accounting of benefits of alternative fuels towards GHG
emission reduction targets. Existing incentives in the road transport sector need to
be expanded towards the aviation sector.

Advanced biofuel technologies may first be developed to serve the road transport
sector due to its larger fuel volumes. Advanced biofuel pathways facilitating
reduction of GHG emissions as well as overall sustainability at affordable costs still
need to be demonstrated.

Use of degraded land (abundant in South-East European regions) for the
production of biofuels faces the barriers of lack of clear definitions of degraded,
marginal, and abandoned land as well as lack of economic viability as investors will
favour agricultural land for feedstock production..
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
8
Session 1 – Policies on Alternative Fuels for Aviation
Panel Discussion on “The European Policy Framework”
This panel discussion aimed to provide an overview on the current and future European
policy framework for alternative aviation fuels as well as existing national initiatives on
Member State level (aireg, ISAFF, NISA, Bioqueroseno).
Moderation: Rainer Janssen, WIP Renewable Energies, Germany
Panellists:
 Paul Verhoef, Head of Unit - New and Renewable Energy Sources, European
Commission - DG RTD
 Alexander Zschocke, Lufthansa AG - Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in
Germany (aireg)
 David Chiaramonti, President of the RE-CORD Consortium – Italian Sustainable
Aviation Fuel Forum (ISAFF)
 Martin Porsgaard, Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (NISA)
 Inmaculada Gomez, SENASA – Bioqueroseno, Spain
The panel discussion was launched by Rainer Janssen, WIP Renewable Energies, with
an invitation to panellists to briefly present their national initiatives on alternative aviation
fuels.
Alexander Zschocke, Lufthansa AG, presented the German national initiative aireg
(Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany). aireg was founded in 2011 as
first such initiative in Europe, second only to the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels
Initiative (CAAFI) in the US.
On operational level aireg members from air carriers, airports, research facilities as well as
the aviation industry are organized in working groups on provision of feedstock,
technologies for fuel production, fuel utilization, quality and certification, and sustainability.
The aim of the aireg initiative is to support the development and introduction of
regenerative fuels for aviation in Germany (with an indicative target of 10% alternative
aviation fuels by 2025) as well as provide information about the demand, origin, availability
and use of these regenerative fuels.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
9
The Italian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Forum (ISAFF) was represented by David
Chiaramonti, RE-CORD Consortium. ISAFF was established in June 2013 through
cooperation between ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and WEC Italy, the Italian
Committee of the World Energy Council. The forum includes Italian and international
members from airlines, industry and governmental institutions as well as public and private
research organizations.
ISAFF acts as a platform for collecting, exchanging and discussing relevant information
related to energy and sustainability in aviation and as a focal point for projects and
initiatives in the area of alternative aviation fuels. The first annual ISAFF workshop is
organised in Rome in November 2014.
The Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (NISA) presented by Martin Porsgaard,
NISA, was launched in 2013 by Nordic airports, airlines and their industry federations, and
aviation authorities. The initiative is supported by aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing
as well as IATA (International Air Transport Association).
The goal of NISA is to form a Nordic cluster network which promotes the framework and
conditions for access to new fuels and also contributes to innovation and new green jobs,
attracting solid investments and contributing to the region’s position as a leader in global
green growth. NISA will thus focus on bringing together stakeholders throughout the supply
chain to find the best and most energy efficient solutions as well as at the same time put
pressure on policy makers to ensure that aviation secures its share of sustainable fuels.
Inmaculada Gomez, SENASA, presented the Spanish Initiative for the Production and
Consumption of Bio-kerosene for Aviation (Bioqueroseno) as a national program, led
by the Spanish government involving actors from the full value chain in a public-private
partnership. Bioqueroseno was initiated in 2011 following a feasibility study indicating large
potential for alternative aviation fuel production and use in Spain.
The objective of Bioqueroseno is to promote the development of a sustainable biokerosene industry in Spain through the implementation of the entire value chain, using
second generation sustainable crops as feedstock, giving priority to raw materials that
minimize environmental impact, land use changes and the competition with food production
markets. Furthermore, the initiative aims at contributing to the production targets of the EU
Flightpath (i.e. 2 million tonnes by 2020).
Paul Verhoef, European Commission - DG RTD, highlighted that the European
Flightpath (launched in 2011) has been a political initiative under Energy Commissioner
Oettinger with the objective of bringing together high (CEO) level representative from
industry stakeholders in order to move forward the deployment of alternative aviation fuels.
Thereby, the main interest of airlines is the reduction of alternative fuel cost whereas fuel
producers aim at securing markets (e.g. off-take agreements) for their products. However,
after three years only limited progress has been achieved mainly due to regulatory
uncertainties, the ILUC debate, and hesitance from the financing sector.
With the upcoming 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris,
the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the EU 2030
Climate and Energy Package as well as the establishment of the new Commission, it
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
10
remains to be seen how alternative aviation fuels will be integrated in broader energy and
climate policies on European and global level. Nevertheless, truly high (CEO) level
initiatives involving industry stakeholders engaged in alternative aviation fuels production
and use will be needed for de-risking value chains leading to large scale deployment of
alternative aviation fuels. Specifically, farmers will need to be motivated to grow or provide
feedstock at cost levels facilitating the production of reasonably competitive alternative
fuels.
Rainer Janssen, WIP Renewable
Energies,
launched
the
plenary
discussion with the statement that the
objectives of the European Advanced
Biofuels Flight Path initiative, namely to
achieve an annual production of two
million tonnes of sustainably produced
biofuel for aviation by 2020, seem to be
very difficult to realize.
The following contributions from panellists and the forum audience are highlighted
addressing initiatives and specific measures to be implemented in order to move
towards large scale deployment of alternative aviation fuels in Europe.

Until today, there is a lack of specific and coherent policies incentivising the
scale-up of alternative aviation fuel production. The aviation sector has not
been strongly involved in the establishment of the Renewable Energy Directive
(RED) and its alternative fuel target. Aviation fuels have not been specifically
addressed in the RED, however they may be counted towards the fulfilment of
targets reported by Member States.

Based on the de-carbonisation goals of the aviation sector, the EU Flightpath
initiative and existing national initiatives on alternative aviation fuels, policy options
need to be discussed among representatives from the private and public (EU and
Member State level) sector, including cost-benefit analysis of different policy
options.

The level of engagement by the private aviation sector in the field of alternative
fuels (as means to achieve de-carbonisation targets) needs to be known and
demonstrated in order to guide the development of public policies.

The establishment of a high (CEO) level initiative led by industry stakeholders
on the integration of alternative aviation fuels in the aviation sector is needed.
Thereby, it may be necessary to discuss a revision of the target set by the EU
Flightpath in the light of current energy and climate policies.

Due to the relatively small fuel volumes used in the aviation sector it is
recommended to also promote advanced technologies for second and third
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
11
generation biofuels in the road transport sector. Overall production volumes
need to be increased in order to achieve significant cost reductions. Synergies exist
for the development of alternative fuels for the road and aviation sector and the
percentage of alternative fuels available for use in the aviation sector may then be a
matter of political prioritization.

The example of advanced biofuels in the road transport sector, with recent
agreements to implement commercial facilities for the production of lignocellulosic
ethanol, shows that targets can be achieved with a clear commitment of industry
in place.

Mandates for advanced biofuels are seen as effective measure to scale up
production. On 10 October 2014 the Italian Government has issued a Decree
including a 0.6-1% binding mandate for advanced biofuels (on energy basis;
with double counting), for the first time in Europe creating a dedicated market for
advanced biofuels. This Decree also provides a clear definition of “advanced
biofuels”.

Trustworthy data on the sustainable potential of biomass in Europe is urgently
needed to discuss (conflicting) use options in different sectors. The EU Joint
Research Centre (JRC) will perform a long-term study on biomass availability in
2015.

Ensuring sustainability to the highest standards is crucial for the deployment of
alternative fuels in the aviation sector. However, production of fuels shall be
possible with food-based as well as non-food feedstock as sustainability depends
on management practices of specific value chains rather than on feedstock choice
in general.

Increased RTD on business cases for full value chains of alternative aviation
fuels is needed in order to achieve cost reduction through learning curves.

Emphasis shall be placed on the communication with the general public and
NGOs on available sustainable potentials for the production of (advanced) biofuels
for transport in order to address the negative image of biomass based energy
production.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
12
Session 2 – Feedstock and Sustainability
Speakers:
Name
Organization
Donald Smith
BioFuelNet / McGill University, Canada
Rolf Hogan
Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)
Panellists:
Name
Organization
Olivier Dubois
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO)
Yuri Herreras Yambanis
Camelina Company España
Alexandre Gohin
Institute Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA),
France
Jenny Walther-Thoss
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany
Sergio Ugarte
SQ Consult, Netherlands
The presentations are available online on the following website:
http://www.core-jetfuel.eu/Shared%20Documents/presentations.html
Presentation 1: Donald Smith: Feedstock Availability and Sustainability in Canada
Donald Smith, BioFuelNet Canada / McGill University opened the CORE-JetFuel
stakeholder workshop of Working Group 1 with a presentation on feedstock availability and
sustainability in Canada. In the first part of his talk, Mr. Smith introduced to the auditorium a
variety of definitions. Starting with defining biomass in general and energy crops in
particular, he moved on to elaborate on conventional and advanced biofuel feedstock, their
according subcategories as well as desired feedstock properties for biofuel production,
such as high photosynthetic rate for maximum CO2 uptake or high water use efficiency.
After addressing different types of feedstock, their sustainability advantages and
disadvantages along the production chain in more detail, Mr. Smith presented the
Canadian biofuel potential and put it in an international context. In the last part of his talk
Mr. Smith presented the Canadian Center of Excellence “BioFuelNet”, which brings
together the Canadian biofuel research community missioned to support the growth of
Canada’s advanced biofuels industry through coordinated research, innovation, effective
education, smart policy and strategic partnerships.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
13
Presentation 2: Rolf Hogan: Certification of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Rolf Hogan, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials first presented the structure of the
RSB, which is made up of over 120 organizations from 30 countries and is organized in
seven chambers, covering all stakeholder groups crucial for sustainable biomaterials and
their certification, respectively. After elaborating on RSB’s vision of global sustainable
production, conversion and use of biomass, Mr. Hogan moved on to explain the
organization’s certification system as well as the most prominent tools being applied in the
certification process. In context of presenting the ISEAL (International Social and
Environmental Accreditation and Labelling) Alliance, a non-governmental organization with
the mission of strengthening sustainability standards for the benefit of people and the
environment, Mr. Hogan outlined important social principles with respect to certification, for
example food security, rural development or water rights. Subsequently, Mr. Hogan
presented to the auditorium a selection of projects and initiatives partnering with the RSB
that identify feedstock, infrastructure and technology needs at a local level to develop a
sustainable aviation biofuels industry. The last part of Mr. Hogan’s presentation addressed
certified aviation biofuel supply chains as well as examples of commercial flights deploying
RSB certified alternative fuel blends, for example the ITAKA project and the recently
certified renewable jet fuel farnesane (Amyris / Total), respectively.
Panel Discussion on “Feedstock and Sustainability”
Moderation: Dominik Rutz, WIP Renewable Energies, Germany
In order to facilitate a targeted discussion with maximum thematic output for the COREJetFuel project, the participants of the panel discussion on feedstock and sustainability
have been provided with guiding questions in advance to the Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Forum. In general, the topics that were addressed in this panel aimed at building and
following up on the work that has been conducted in the first year of CORE-JetFuel
Working Group 1 on Feedstock and Sustainability.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
14
Dominik Rutz, WIP Renewable Energies opened the discussion by inviting Jenny
Walther-Thoss, WWF Germany to state her view concerning the sustainability of
European feedstock production coupled with the question if the measures to safeguard
sustainability currently in place in the EU such as the Renewable Energy Directive (RED)
are sufficient. Mrs. Walther-Thoss positively highlighted that the RED was the first proposal
to implement legislation over a voluntary scheme and clearly stated her disappointment that
the directive will not continue after 2020. In addition, she criticized the lack of the social
dimension in the RED, which in her opinion also fails to address questions concerning soil
fertility / degradation and water availability / usage sufficiently. Mrs. Walther-Thoss views
sceptically that the availability of feedstock is equated with sustainability, when it is actually
about the final use of feedstock in her view.
Concerning the concept of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) and its appropriateness for
the aviation sector, Mrs. Walther-Thoss stated that the concept itself as well as the
scientific discussion surrounding it is important. However, ILUC factors should not be
implemented in policies at this stage.
Yuri Herreras Yambanis, Camelina Company España first outlined the hurdles the
Camelina Company had to overcome regarding the certification of its feedstock for the
value chain of the ITAKA project, which mainly concerned different requirements the three
major certification schemes vital for the above-mentioned value chain (RSB/EPA/SkyNRG
Sustainability Board) are imposing. Despite the considerable efforts accompanying the
process of certifying 200 camelina-growing farmers, the Camelina Company is according to
Mr. Herreras the first one that is certified by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials
(RSB) and complies with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
of the United States (US). One of these requirements is that feedstock produced outside
the US (and Canada) has to come from land that was agricultural land already in 2007. Mr.
Herreras further stated that the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction potential of
camelina-derived alternative jet fuel is 60%, with room for improvement.
According to Mr. Herreras, feedstock is not sustainable or unsustainable per se but
depends on the land and process employed for cultivation. Since sustainable land use is
not easily defined, Mr. Herreras recommended that current measures should focus on
determining land sustainability on a project to project basis, rather than through general
ILUC factors.
In order to make sure good agricultural practices are adhered to in the EU, they should not
be requested solely from the biofuel industry, but rather from European agriculture in
general. This suggestion should be incorporated as one of the key tasks of the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP). In this sense, the CAP has recently incorporated the “Greening
Policy”, which promotes good agricultural practices among European farmers, linked to
their CAP subsidy, which is according to Mr. Herreras a first step in the direction outlined
above.
Being asked about the production potential of lignocellulosic biomass for aviation (waste
and residues) and its economic viability, Mr. Herreras stated that one should keep in mind
that although an agronomic residue might not initially have any application, it will probably
end up entailing some kind of revenue for farmers. In this case, although the agronomic
residues have initially low or no value, they will finally have some market price (such has
been the case in Spain for cereal straw). Under these competitive circumstances, the
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
15
biofuel industry is usually not the one that can pay the most (although, on the other side,
can guarantee very high volumes). Additionally, one of the key issues for lignocellulosic
biomass is transport cost, which greatly impacts on its final pricing. This will certainly be a
challenge for producing economically viable biofuel.
Given the current aviation fuel targets, it will be extremely difficult to meet them, unless
there are sustainable feedstock imports in Europe. Additionally, it is very important to define
which feedstock/projects are acceptable for the aviation industry (especially residues such
as tallow). Current measures are usually sufficient. However, the main problem is that the
organizations from the aviation value chain are requesting a series of certificates that differ
from certificates requested for other bio-products. The lack of harmonization is a clear
barrier to sustainable feedstock deployment.
Bio-products other than biofuel tend to have a higher unit price than fuel, which means
such industries usually have the capacity to pay more for sustainable feedstock. In such
case, if policy makers want to guarantee that a given sustainable raw material is employed
in biofuel applications, the prioritization will need to include important subsidies.
Additionally, bio-products in Europe are currently not requested to have such demanding
and costly sustainability schemes and certifications. New sustainable feedstock producers
may then not only be driven by price.
Alexandre Gohin, INRA stated that the intention of deploying biofuels is to fight climate
change and its negative impacts, respectively, which in turn caused the emergence of a
series of economic models calculating the potential of biofuels to reduce climate-active
gases. Yet, when developing economic models, he experienced great difficulties in
incorporating land use change as well as trade impacts. According to Mr. Gohin, all models
conclude that it is possible to cover the increasing demand for food solely by increasing
yields – in the past and in the future. Opposed to this, he stated that the scenario previously
outlined is not valid for biofuel production, where an increase in demand means increasing
the cultivation area. Finally, he asked where the limit of agricultural production and
efficiency will be – also considering that most models conclude that it is not feasible to
substitute (artificial) fertilizers, which also have a negative impact on the climate.
Sergio Ugarte, SQ Consult shared Yuri Herreras’ view on avoiding a generalization of
feedstock in terms of good (sustainable) or bad (unsustainable), and also emphasized the
importance of good agricultural practices. In addition, he regards the avoidance of
“excesses” (for example large plantations of a single species, displacing others) an
important measure to safeguard sustainability, which is generally feedstock agnostic in his
view. In regard to the excess of feedstock mentioned above, Mr. Ugarte criticized that
policy continues to assess how to mitigate impacts from those "excesses" instead of trying
to avoid it.
Being asked about the concept of indirect land use change Mr. Ugarte stated that ILUC
models should analyse the sustainable availability of feedstock and not its production in
terms of sustainability. According to Mr. Ugarte, sustainability and policies safeguarding it,
respectively, are regional issues. Therefore, measures of combining and harmonizing
international policies currently investigated by the International Air Transport Association
(IATA) to achieve global sustainability schemes are difficult. The mistake being made here
is that sustainability schemes cannot be applied globally because different regions require
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
16
different levels of assurance (sustainability impacts are not the same for camelina
production in Europe compared to a different region with poor governance).
Robert Malina, MIT added in this regard that indirect land use change is occurring every
day due to the production of other goods, which is why the ILUC regulation should not be
stronger or more stringent on biofuels than for other (bio-) products in his view.
Olivier Dubois, FAO generally opted for revisiting the segregation of food and non-food
feedstock as well as the competition between them. Exemplary of this competition are
developing countries, where 40% of animal feed comes from agricultural residues – clearly
showing the dependency of local farmers on residues for their livelihoods. In line with the
other panellists, Mr. Dubois highlighted with this statement the importance of social aspects
in feedstock and biofuel production as well as in the respective regulatory frameworks. Mr.
Dubois especially highlighted that the potential impact of feedstock production has to be
assessed – for which certification schemes are not sufficient in his view. In addition, he
considers the existence of different certification schemes problematic since most feedstock
producers will likely adhere to the cheapest one with the lowest sustainability requirements.
Instead, he suggested adopting a system that is being applied when rating hotels.
According to this proposed rating system, feedstock producers would be incentivized by
moderate targets to improve their sustainability performance, which will in turn be
recognized by the certification bodies.
After all panellists have been heard the floor was opened to the auditorium which was
invited to pose questions and comments on the panellists’ statements.
Models assessing the sustainability of feedstock destined for the production of alternative
aviation fuels are according to Jim Hileman, Federal Aviation Administration hard to
apply because information is lacking on how to explicitly use these models. Opposed to
their intention, their complexity is preventing the estimation of sustainability in many cases.
Mr. Hileman additionally criticized that due to the lengthy certification process a backlog of
bio jet fuels ready for use is “waiting” for their certification.
Ruta Baltause, European Commission DG ENER stressed the fact that sustainable
agriculture is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable biofuels. In addition, a sustainable
form of agriculture is also considered as a crucial tool to counteract issues such as food
insecurity, deforestation and the like. Having said this, Mrs. Baltause moved on to asking
how sustainable biofuel production could be measured and certified, after which she
elaborated on the two important approaches taken on EU level. According to Mrs. Baltause,
the European Commission does not look at single types of feedstock but instead
distinguishes between pathways in categories such as starches or oils, vegetable oils, landusing or not land-using – subsequently to which regulation takes place. Opposing
statements made by almost all panellists concerning the lack of social aspects for example
in the RED, Mrs. Baltause stated that current EU schemes do indeed consider the social
dimension by addressing issues such as water availability and water quality. Therefore, the
issue arises from unmeasurable criteria as well as criteria that cannot be attributed.
Concerning the efficiency of agricultural land, Xavier Dommange, Airbus Group
Innovations asked the panellists if the continuation of increased yields is feasible in the
coming years.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
17
Alexandre Gohin answered that in his experience farming is quite difficult to measure
seeing as it depends on land and location, thereby underlining the regional scope of biofuel
production and its sustainability. In addition, he mentioned the uncertainty with respect to
yield increases and price changes, which can only be overcome by reliable physical data
sources.
Jenny Walther-Thoss added that certification can indeed have big advantages on certain
sustainability aspects, although it cannot solve others. She positively highlighted the focus
on land use plans that has taken place over the last five years.
In Olivier Dubois’ point of view, monitoring agricultural practices and the progress they are
making, respectively, is not an easy task. Therefore, measuring progress should in his
opinion be part of policies from which incentives can be derived. The monitoring process is
currently undertaken in two to three year intervals, which should be revised to a continuous
process.
Similar to Mr. Dubois’ earlier comment on creating incentives for sustainable biofuel
production through policies, Sergio Ugarte added that the RED should recognize the
different assurance levels of certification schemes, which should in turn follow practices of
a “standard of standard”. Consequentially, the private sector will strive for a higher level of
assurance, instead of the current situation in which most certificates are issued by schemes
with low level of assurance. Additionally, Mr. Ugarte criticized that the European
Commission mandates sustainability certification but does not provide a clear framework
for the assessment of level of assurance.
Rolf Hogan, Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials prompted in this regard that
business should take leadership and show its part regarding different levels of assurance
as well as adapt standards, which should be regionally interpreted.
David Chiaramonti, RE-CORD Consortium lastly commented that most of the discussion
circling around the certification of feedstock primarily addresses oily crops. In this context,
he emphasized that certification schemes need to consider an adaption towards
lignocellulosic biomass, since sustainability issues connected to their utilization are very
different.
In summary, the following contributions from panellists and the forum audience are
emphasized with respect to environmental considerations of alternative fuels for
aviation:

Bio-jet feedstock is not sustainable or unsustainable per se. The sustainability of
feedstock is a management issue that is greatly influenced by cultivation
techniques, good agricultural practices or agricultural zoning

In order to make sure good agricultural practices are adhered to in the EU, they
should not be requested solely from the biofuel industry, but rather from European
agriculture in general.

The sustainability of feedstock is a regional issue, to which certification schemes
and standards should be adopted accordingly

The social dimension is lacking in sustainability standards
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
18

The concept of indirect land use change is an important scientific discussion but
due to a high degree of uncertainty, it should not be included in policies at this
stage

Due to a lack of information, sustainability models are not easily applied by the
aviation sector

Lengthy certification process hinders deployment of alternative aviation fuels
from an airline’s perspective
Session 3 – Conversion Technologies and Deployment
Session 3 on Conversion Technologies and Deployment of the Forum’s CORE-JetFuel Day
was chaired by Nicolas Jeuland, Safran R&T Center, France
Speakers:
Name
Organization
Robert Malina
MIT, United States of America.
Frédéric Eychenne
Airbus Group, France
Philippe Marchand
TOTAL, France
Robert Wood
Virgin Airlines, Australia
Flyn van Ewijk
Qantas Airlines, Australia
Panellists:
Name
Organization
Philippe Marchand
TOTAL, France
Franziska Müller-Langer
Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ),
Germany
Eileen van den Tweel
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Andreas Sizmann
Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. (BHL), Germany
Alejandro Ríos
Masdar Institute, United Arab Emirates
The presentations are available online on the following website:
http://www.core-jetfuel.eu/Shared%20Documents/presentations.html
Presentation 1, Robert Malina: Innovative Technologies for Alternative Aviation Fuels
An overview of Innovative Technologies for Alternative Aviation Fuels was presented by
Robert Malina, MIT. In the first part of his presentation Mr. Malina introduced to the
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
19
auditorium a schematic overview of the alternative jet fuel landscape, including most
prominent feedstock groups, conversion pathways with their according intermediate
products, the end product as well as its ASTM certification status. After briefly mentioning
the four high-level alternative jet fuel challenges of governance, technology, economics and
environment, Mr. Malina presented lifecycle GHG emissions of selected HEFA jet fuels
compared to their fossil counterpart. Although the lifecycle assessment (LCA) results were
of preliminary nature and should therefore not be cited, significant GHG reductions
compared to conventional jet fuel were according to Mr. Malina nevertheless observed, if
adverse land use changes could be avoided. The second part of the presentation
addressed economic challenges of biojet production as well as commercial opportunities
for aviation biofuel – an example being HEFA jet fuels from rotation crops grown on fallow
land. Mr. Malina concluded that biofuel prices will decrease over time as knowledge is
gained - but in order to safeguard cost-competitiveness, financial as well as production
incentives will be key to enabling the bio-jet industry.
Presentation 2, Frédéric Eychenne: Airbus Environmental Affairs – Sustainable Aviation
Fuels. The Airbus Approach
To put Airbus’ environmental undertakings in perspective, Frédéric Eychenne, AIRBUS
first outlined the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) targets and the industry’s strategy to
achieve these targets, respectively. According to Mr. Eychenne, the aviation industry is on
track achieving the near-term goal of increasing fuel efficiency by 1.5% per annum – mainly
by the latest aircraft technology. After outlining Airbus’ set of measures to achieve the CO2
reduction targets, Mr. Eychenne elaborated on the airline’s sustainable fuels strategy,
which is built on three central principles: to support qualification and certification of
sustainable aviation fuels, their large-scale deployment; and to ensure the sustainability of
these solutions by adhering to RSB criteria. In this context, Mr. Eychenne emphasized the
local approach Airbus is taking to find the best solutions safeguarding social, economic and
environmental sustainability. Concerning the industry’s CO2 emission reduction targets he
added that sustainable fuels should mainly be reserved for the aviation sector as there are
no other alternative energy sources available for aircraft in the near future. In the following,
Mr. Eychenne presented Airbus’ sustainable aviation fuel activities in projects and initiatives
all around the globe. In the last part of his talk, he introduced to the auditorium Malaysian
and Chinese initiatives Airbus is engaged in in more detail. Mr. Eychenne concluded that
the industry is committed to sustainable aviation fuels by putting a lot of effort on
demonstration and certification. But due to the lack of an adequate political framework,
sustainable production and high costs are the main obstacles to the deployment of
alternative jet fuels in commercial flights.
Presentation 3, Philippe Marchand: Amyris-Total Biojet Fuel – Breakthrough Solution for
Aviation
Philippe Marchand, TOTAL first presented the strategic alliance between Amyris and
Total. Total being a global aviation fuel supplier with industrial expertise, and Amyris
providing the conversion technology, the two companies are using the synergies emerging
from this collaboration to produce an alternative jetfuel-blend containing 10% of farnesane
fermented from Brazilian sugar cane. After presenting the production chain from biomass
extraction to the certified Jet A/A-1 blend, Mr. Marchand highlighted in context of the
biorefinery in Brotas, Brazil that the question of sustainable and economically viable bio-jet
production is not about duplicating a model but to find the right feedstock for the right place,
thereby underlining the regional character of bio-jet production and its (economic)
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
20
sustainability, respectively. After illustrating the production process in more detail, Mr.
Marchand presented the roadmap for sustainable Amyris-Total biofuels from 2014 to 2020
and beyond, for example Research and Development (R&D) activities in the field of
advanced and cellulosic sugars for future use in commercial production. In the last part of
his talk, Mr. Marchand presented why the two companies chose to launch farnesane
production in Brazil, key properties of the Amyris-Total renewable jet fuel as well as
commercial flights that deployed (and are deploying) farnesane.
Presentation 4, Robert Wood / Flyn van Ewijk: Pathways to Sustainable Aviation Fuel –
the Australian Perspective
The first presentation on Australian sustainable aviation fuel pathways was held by Flyn
van Ewijk, Qantas Airlines. After presenting background information on Qantas, the
world’s second oldest airline, Mr. van Ewijk introduced to the auditorium a study that was
established by Qantas and Shell to investigate the commercial feasibility of an Australian
biofuel industry. To achieve this, the study / project focused on an existing supply chain and
refining infrastructure, modelling the “end-to-end” HEFA value chain. Since domestic
natural oils are not sufficiently available in Australia to support a HEFA bio-jet industry, one
of the key challenges concerning commercial viability was the feedstock volume. Other
challenges concerned feedstock pricing or the necessary significant modification of existing
refineries. The study concluded that although technically feasible, an Australian HEFA biojet supply chain is not commercially viable at the moment. To change this, meaning to
mitigate operating losses, Mr. van Ewijk recommended a three-step approach: Reduce
feedstock input costs by utilizing waste (MSW), agricultural and forestry residues; maximize
renewable diesel production; equalize production incentives for all renewable products.
The second presentation addressing the Australian perspective was held by Robert Wood,
Virgin Australia. After an introductory part on the airline Virgin Australia, inter alia a
member of the RSB, Mr. Wood presented the Mallee biomass project. Mallee is an
indigenous eucalyptus tree capable of growing in arid conditions and marginal soils as well
as in a short rotation coppice system, which makes it interesting for biofuel production. The
project is a commercial partnership assessing the viability of a Mallee-based supply chain
for fuel into the Perth Airport. In addition, Mr. Wood presented the Sustainable Mallee Jet
Fuel Project that assessed the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the
proposed value chain for growing and converting Mallee biomass. According to Mr. Wood,
the sustainability assessment was conducted by applying RSB principles. Another crucial
part of the project was conducting a lifecycle assessment (LCA) to compare potential GHG
emissions, cumulative energy demand and fossil depletion with and without Mallee
cropping and processing. After stating assumptions underlying the LCA, for example time
and geographic coverage, Mr. Wood presented its outcomes – one of which being a
baseline GHG LCA reduction of 40%. Subsequently to elaborating on issues and
opportunities of large-scale Malle cultivation for biojet production Mr. Wood presented
certification and pragmatism considerations, for example the need for guidance and
clarification on the RSB GHG calculation methodology regarding how to address potential
food displacement issues. Mr. Wood concluded his presentation by outlining next steps of
the project and emphasizing Australia’s significant biomass potential.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
21
Panel Discussion on Conversion Technologies and Deployment
The last panel discussion of the CORE-JetFuel Day aimed at discussing the large-scale
deployment of alternative jet fuels, influencing factors as well as measures that facilitate the
step from demonstration to deployment of sustainable alternative jet fuels.
Nicoals Jeuland, SAFRAN R&T Center opened the panel discussion on Conversion
Technologies and Deployment by emphasizing the local / regional character of bio-jet
production as well as the diversity of solutions presenting themselves on the way to
realizing the large-scale deployment of alternative aviation fuels mentioned above.
Accordingly, the first question to the panellists was concerned with appropriate next steps
to be taken.
According to Eileen van den Tweel, KLM concentrating on one single technology pathway
should be avoided. Instead, a local approach should be followed that incorporates the best
solution (or set of solutions) for a respective area or region. KLM is therefore not only
considering the Netherlands, but is looking on a global scale for projects that cover the
entire value chain – projects, in which KLM is able to add value as an end-user. Mrs. van
den Tweel added in this regard that due to KLM’s high sustainability requirements, a
surplus of biofuel is noticeable on the market.
Alejandro Ríos, Masdar Insitute introduced to the auditorium the Integrated Seawater
Energy and Agriculture System (ISEAS) as an example of locally approaching conversion
and deployment of alternative aviation fuel. In context of the ISEAS he especially
highlighted the importance of finding synergies across the bio-jet value chain as well as
with other transport sectors.
Franziska Müller-Langer, DBFZ reported from the variety of assessments of potential
production pathways the DBFZ has undertaken. These assessments brought to light that
when considering GHG savings as a key indicator, challenges mainly concern both
feedstock and fuel production. Additionally, the accompanying costs represent a major
challenge. For the medium-term, Mrs. Müller-Langer believes that Hydro-processed Esters
and Fatty Acids (HEFA) have the greatest potential for overcoming the gap between
demonstration and deployment. Seeing as jet fuel is just one of many products that can be
derived from the conversion process, “biomass to liquids” and “power to liquid” production
processes should be combined in Mrs. Müller-Langer’s point of view. In light of the
previously-mentioned manifold opportunities, she advocated openness to different
technologies.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
22
Andreas Sizmann, BHL emphasized the key issue of future physical, technical and
economic potentials. Consequentially, he translated this issue into the following guiding
questions: What is the global biomass potential? What are promising long-term alternatives
for the alternatives today? After mentioning the “Power-to-Gas” pathway as a viable option,
Mr. Sizmann introduced to the auditorium the SOLAR-JET project which produced under
laboratory conditions the first “solar kerosene”.
The demonstrated production path will be capable of producing scalable volumes of
kerosene from concentrated sunlight, CO2 captured from air, and water, from desert land
that does not compete with food production. The techno-economic coupling of cost and
efficiency in this process was emphasized.
In terms of land use, Mr. Sizmann underlined the potential of this technology by stating the
potential energy efficiency ratio for thermochemistry-based SOLAR-JET is much higher
than that for photosynthesis-based fuels. (The efficiency of bio-diesel from e.g. rapeseed is
approximately 1 ton per hectare and year, or 0.003 as ratio of heating value of biodiesel to
the incident solar energy. The fraction of 0.997 of incident radiation does not end up in biofuel energy.)
Nicolas Jeuland, SAFRAN R&T Center subsequently posed the question what in the
panellist’s opinions the main problem in regard to the large-scale deployment of alternative
jet fuels might be.
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
23
According to Philippe Marchand, TOTAL, the key problem of deploying alternative jet
fuels at large scale is the price. In his view, the proper horizon to consider carbon-neutral
growth as advocated by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) is from 2020 on.
Mrs. van den Tweel, KLM underlined this statement by saying that from an airline
perspective economics are considered first, sustainability second. She thereby referred to a
comment by David Chiaramonti, RE-CORD Consortium who stated in the European
Policy Framework panel that for a fuel it is important to be perceived as sustainable, not
actually being sustainable. Seeing as the aviation sector has a reputation in the general
public of being unsustainable, in Mrs. van den Tweel’s view Mr. Chiaramonti’s comment is
particularly true for airlines having to make sure that it is 100% sustainable.
Replying to a question by Olivier Penanhoat, SNECMA concerning the conversion
process’ efficiency in terms of energy, Franziska Müller-Langer, DBFZ stated that
depending on the feedstock, the HEFA pathway reaches conversion energy efficiency up to
85%, Fischer-Tropsch conversion processes approximately 50%.
The following contributions from the panellists and the auditorium are conclusively
highlighting the main issues currently hindering the large-scale deployment of sustainable
alternative aviation fuels.

Both end-users and producers of alternative sustainable aviation fuel consider its
price as key for large-scale deployment

In the short-term, emphasis should be put on making bio-jet fuels economically
compatible

Demand for alternative fuels is currently lower than production capacity

Openness towards a diversity of conversion technologies should be kept
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
24

Commercialize by-products of alternative jet fuel production or vice versa, for
example jet fuel as by-product of producing bio-chemicals

Key issue of future physical, technical and economic potential of alternative jet
fuel and its feedstock, respectively, for bridging the gap between demonstration and
large-scale deployment
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
25
Annex 1 : Programme
Day 1 – 20 Oct. 2014: CORE-JetFuel
Perspectives of alternative fuels for aviation – evaluation of
existing and promising production pathways
08:00
Registration
09:00
Welcome to the Workshop
W ELCOME REMARKS FROM THE SPANISH BIOQUEROSENO INITIATIVE
INSTITUTIONAL WELCOME BY ISABEL MAESTRE MORENO, DIRECTOR OF THE SPANISH AIR
SAFETY AGENCY, MINISTRY OF W ORKS AND TRANSPORT
09:10
CORE-JETFUEL Activities and Results
JOHANNES MICHEL, FNR, GERMANY
Session 1 – Policies on Alternative Fuels for Aviation
09:30
Panel Discussion:
Global Harmonization on Sustainability and Policy Frameworks
MODERATION:
CÉSAR VELARDE, ICAO TECHNICAL COOPERATION BUREAU, DGCA INDONESIA
PANELLISTS:
PHILIPPE NOVELLI, ALTERNATIVE FUELS OFFICER, ENVIRONMENTAL BRANCH –
INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION (ICAO)
RUTA BALTAUSE, POLICY OFFICER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION - DG ENER, UNIT C1 –
RENEWABLES AND CCS POLICY
OLIVIER DUBOIS, SENIOR NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICER & LEADER ENERGY TEAM,
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
UWE FRITSCHE, IINAS, GERMANY
JIM HILEMAN, CHIEF SCIENTIST AND TECHNICAL ADVISOR FOR ENVIRONMENT AND
ENERGY, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION , UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ALEXANDRE FILIZOLA, REGULATION SPECIALIST, BRAZILIAN CIVIL AVIATION NATIONAL
AGENCY (ANAC)
YUSFANDRI GONA, CHAIRMAN OF AVIATION BIOFUEL & RENEWABLE ENERGY TASK
FORCE, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATION, INDONESIA
10:40
Coffee Break
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
26
11:10
Panel Discussion: The European Policy Framework
MODERATION:
RAINER JANSSEN, WIP RENEWABLE ENERGIES, GERMANY
PANELLISTS:
PAUL VERHOEF, HEAD OF UNIT - NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION - DG RTD
ALEXANDER ZSCHOCKE, LUFTHANSA AG - AVIATION INITIATIVE FOR RENEWABLE
ENERGY IN GERMANY (AIREG)
DAVID CHIARAMONTI, PRESIDENT OF THE RE-CORD CONSORTIUM – ITALIAN
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL FORUM (ISAFF)
MARTIN PORSGAARD, NORDIC INITIATIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION (NISA)
INMACULADA GOMEZ, SENASA – BIOQUEROSENO, SPAIN
12:30
Lunch Break
Session 2 – Feedstock and Sustainability
14:00
Feedstock/Sustainability Canada
DONALD SMITH, DIRECTOR BIOFUELNET CANADA
14:20
Certification of Sustainable Aviation Fuels – Technical challenges
ROLF HOGAN, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE BIOMATERIALS
(RSB)
14:40
Panel Discussion on Feedstock and Sustainability
MODERATION:
DOMINIK RUTZ, WIP RENEWABLE ENERGIES, GERMANY
PANELLISTS:
OLIVIER DUBOIS, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
(FAO)
YURI HERRERAS YAMBANIS, DIRECTOR, CAMELINA COMPANY ESPAÑA
ALEXANDRE GOHIN, INRA, FRANCE
JENNY W ALTHER-THOSS, WWF
SERGIO UGARTE, SQ CONSULT, NETHERLANDS
16:00
Coffee Break
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
27
Session 3 – Conversion Technologies and Deployment
16:30
Overview of Innovative Technologies for Alternative Aviation Fuels
ROBERT MALINA, MIT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
16:50
The Sinopec Chinese Technological Pathway and Airbus Global Biojet
Initiatives
FREDERIC EYCHENNE, AIRBUS GROUP, FRANCE
17:10
The Total-Amyris Direct Sugar to Hydrocarbon (DSHC) Fuel Pathway
PHILIPPE MARCHAND, TOTAL, FRANCE
17:30
Pathways to Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Australia
ROBERT W OOD, VIRGIN AIRLINES AND FLYN VAN EWIJK, QANTAS AIRWAYS, AUSTRALIA
17:50
Panel Discussion on Conversion Technologies and Deployment
MODERATION:
NICOLAS JEULAND, FUTURE FUELS EXPERT, SAFRAN R&T CENTER, FRANCE
PANELLISTS:
PHILIPPE MARCHAND, TOTAL, FRANCE
FRANZISKA MUELLER-LANGER, DBFZ, GERMANY
EILEEN VAN DEN TWEEL, KLM, THE NETHERLANDS
ANDREAS SIZMANN, BHL, GERMANY
RUTA BALTAUSE, POLICY OFFICER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION - DG ENER, UNIT C1 –
RENEWABLES AND CCS POLICY
ALEJANDRO RÍOS, MASDAR, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
18:30
Summary
JOHANNES MICHEL, FNR, GERMANY
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
28
Annex 2 : Forum Participants
NAME
ENTITY
Alejandro Ríos
MASDAR
Alessio Frasoldati
POLITECNICO di MILANO
Alexander Zschocke
LUFTHANSA
Alexandre Gohin
RENNES
Alexandre Rodrigues Filizola ANAC
Alfredo Iglesias
AESA
Andreas Sizmann
BHL
Anne Bogdanski
FAO
Anne Bouter
IFPEN
Anne Laure Gaumerais
FRANCE DGAC
Annika Lindell
TRANSPORT STYRELSEN
Armando Salmerón
REPSOL
Arvind G. Rao
DELFT UNIVERSITY
Beatriz Guirao
CLH
Bhupendra Khandelwal
SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY
Borja Alonso
CCE
Bruno Miller
METRON AVIATION
Carlos Alberto Fernández
IDAE_
Carlos Menéndez de Solas
AESA
Carmen Rivera
SENASA
César Velarde
ICAO INDONESIA
Cristea Stelica
USAMvB
Christoph Jessberger
FHL
Christopher Lewis
ROLLS-ROYCE
David Chiaramonti
RE-CORD
David Raper
MMU
Delia Dimitriu
MMU
Dominik Rutz
WIP
Donald L. Smith
MC GILL
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
29
Ehsan Alborzi
SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY
Eileen van den Tweel
KLM
Elena Lorente González
AESA-INECO
Eline Schapers
SKYNRG
Emanuel Fleuti
ZURICH AIRPORT
Florian Wolters
DLR
Flyn van Ewijk
QANTAS
Francisco J. Dominguez
IDAE_
Franziska Mueller
DBFZ
Frederic Eychenne
AIRBUS GROUP
German Aroca
UCV
Hakan Olcay
SENASA
Hans Schlager
DLR
Heather Hamje
CONCAWE
Ibon Ibarrola
CLH
Inmaculada Gómez
SENASA
Isabel Maestre
AESA
Isabelle Lombaert-Vallot
AIRBUS GROUP
James Hileman
FAA
Jenny Walther-Thoss
WWF
Joanna Bauldreay
SHELL
Johannes Michel
FNR
John Shideler
FUTURE PAST
Joseph Burguburu
SNECMA
Julie Tolmie
MAPPING BOOK
Justo Hernández
PULLMANTUR
Laura Lonza
JRC
Laurens van Sterkenburg
DUTCH GOVERNMENT
Laurie Starck
IFPEN
Lukas Rohleder
AIREG
Manuel Sánchezblanco
SENASA
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
30
Marco Brusati
EC DG RTD
María de la Rica
SENASA
Maria de la Riva
SENASA
Martin Lange
UBA
Martin Porsgaard
NISA
Michael Lakeman
BOEING
Michael Wang
ANL
Michael Wolcott
WASHINGTON STATE
UNIVERSITY
Nathalie Ledanois-Guérin
AIRBUS GROUP
Nathan Brown
FAA
Nicolas Jeuland
SAFRAN
Nikolaos Zarzalis
KIT
Nora Lamharess-Chlaft
SNECMA
Olivier Dubois
FAO
Olivier Penanhoat
SNECMA
Pascale Demoment
TOTAL
Patrick Bosmans
NATO
Patrick Le Clercq
DLR
Paul Smith
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
Paul Verhoef
EC DG RTD
Paula Bruna Andrés
IDAE_
Philipe Novelli
ICAO
Philippe Marchand
TOTAL
Piero Cavigliasso
BIOCHEMTEX
Pietro Caloprisco
ICSA
Prem Lobo
MST
Rainer Janssen
WIP
Ralf Stockel
TOTAL
Ralph Cavalieri
NARA & ASCENT
Robert Boyd
IATA
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
31
Robert Malina
MIT
Robert Wood
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA
Roger Lindfors
NESTE OIL
Rolf Nicholas Hogan
RSB
Ross Walker
AIRBUS GROUP
Ruben Alblas
KLM
Ruta Baltause
DG ENER
Sayuta Senobua
DGAC INDONESIA
Sergi Allegre
ARC
Sergio Ugarte
SQ CONSULT
Sigrun Matthes
DLR
Simon Blakey
SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY
Simon Christie
MMU
Stefana Jurcoane
USAMvB
Ted McDonald
DEPT. TRANSPORT CANADA
Tharassos Panidis
PATRAS UNIVERSITY
Thiago Cestari
EMBRAER
Toni Kanakis
NLR
Toto Nugroho Pranatyasto
PERTAMINA
Uwe Fritsche
IINAS
Victor Daniel Archilla Prat
INTA
Victoria Mozo
SENASA
Volker Grewe
DLR
Wallace Tyner
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Xavier Dommange
AIRBUS GROUP
Xavier Oh
ACI
Xavier Vancassel
ONERA
Yuri Herreras
CCE
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).
32
Annex 3: Brief description of projects
The CORE-JetFuel project supports the European Commission in its analysis and evaluation
of research and innovation projects in the field of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation. It
links initiatives and projects at the EU and Member State level, serving as a focal point in this
area to all public and private stakeholders. CORE-JetFuel addresses competent authorities,
research institutions, feedstock and fuel producers, distributors, aircraft and engine
manufactures, airlines and NGOs. The project is aimed to identify needs in research,
standardization, innovation, deployment, and policy measures at European level and to set up a
European network of excellence for alternative fuels in aviation to bring together technical
expertise and provide an integrated approach to alternative aviation fuels. For more
information, please visit: www.core-jetfuel.eu
The Forum on Aviation and Emissions is a technical and scientific forum capable of
addressing all the issues associated to the aviation environmental concerns linked to emissions:
impacts, technical solutions and regulation, supporting the European research and innovation
by giving it the necessary awareness and visibility.
Series of focused workshops aim at better understanding impacts, at identifying the potential
technical and technological solutions, their expected benefits and maturity and at addressing
regulation technical issues. Forum-AE monitors also and assesses the European research and
innovation in the field of aviation environmental issues linked to emissions by compiling relevant
information from all existing EU projects and main national ones, and making assessment
against ACARE goals.
For more information, please visit: www.forum-ae.eu
Initiative Towards sustAinable Kerosene for Aviation (ITAKA) is a collaborative project
framed in the implementation of the European Union policies that specifically aims to be a
contribution to the fulfilment of some of the short-term European Advanced Biofuels Flight path
objectives. ITAKA project is expected to support the development of aviation biofuels in an
economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner, improving the readiness of
existing technology and infrastructures. This will be achieved through the first of its kind
collaborative project in the EU, that will develop a full value-chain in Europe to produce
sustainable drop-in kerosene containing up to 50% of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids
(HEFA) at large scale enough to allow testing its use in existing logistic systems and in normal
flight operations in the EU.
For more information, please visit: www.itaka-project.eu
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreements No 605716 (CORE-JetFuel),
No 605506 (FORUM-AE), and No 308807 (ITAKA).