How to Make Air Travel More Sustainable With Soy-Fuel Innovations

Soon, millions of bushels of soybeans may be used to fuel aircraft that transport people across the globe.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a greener alternative to the fossil fuels currently used in aviation, is anticipated to boost demand for feedstocks like soybeans. The goal of the aviation sector is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

One of the innovative ways to achieve net-zero carbon entails using sustainable aviation fuels and reduce emissions at their source. Soya products are used to make soy fuel for air travel. Nonetheless, any oil with high oleic acid content would be effective.  This article looks at how soy-fuel innovations can make air travel more sustainable.

What Are Sustainable Aviation Fuels?

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) describe liquid fuels used in commercial aviation that can cut CO2 emissions by up to 80%. It is one of the sustainable fuels created from waste and renewable biomass. SAF comes from more environmentally friendly materials.

For example, it comes from feedstocks such as international soy,soy protein. Soybean oil is particularly preferred because it is inexpensive, of high quality, and can be refined. The ability of soy products to recycle atmospheric carbon is also one of their benefits

Waste oils from biological sources or agricultural and forestry waste can also produce sustainable fuel. Other sources include forestry waste, municipal solid waste from residences and businesses. These alternative aviation fuels can enable environmentally friendly air travel and significantly advance the industry’s emissions-reduction agenda.

Using a different fuel can help lower CO2 emissions to stop future climate change and combat global warming. SAF has a fraction of the carbon impact of petroleum-based jet fuel but can perform similarly, enabling airlines to cut emissions dramatically. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, aviation is responsible for 9% to 12% of the nation’s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Most aircraft use kerosene, a fossil fuel, to power their flight. However, burning fossil fuel creates carbon dioxide causing the greenhouse effect, or too much CO2 in the atmosphere.

How Do You Make A Sustainable Aviation Field With Soy?

A little soy oil can go a long way in achieving cleaner air. Scientists have discovered a method for turning soybean oil into superior aviation biofuels. They aim to reduce emissions by improving jet fuel from soybean oil. The research is part of a larger government initiative to make it possible to produce 35 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel from domestic and other renewable sources by the year 2050.

The aviation sector uses biofuels blends to cut its overall emissions of greenhouse gases. Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) claim it is safe to mix civilian jet fuel used in military aircraft with biodiesel gasoline containing soy oil. You can use fatty acids from soybean oil to make various industrial goods, such as paint, ink, and gasoline, typically derived from petroleum.

You create biofuels blends by mixing biofuels with traditional gasoline. The procedure uses the valuable metal ruthenium to catalyze processes that change the structure and characteristics of the oil’s unsaturated fatty acids. As a catalyst, it plays a significant role in converting biomass into aviation fuel by offering a reaction pathway with tolerant circumstances.

Biodiesel fuel may be winterized using a three-step procedure that involves adding additives, freezing the fuel, and removing solids. Due to a lack of aromatic components, which ensure the proper operation of jet engine seals, the quantity of soybean fuel that may be added to the mixture has been constrained.

SAF closes the carbon cycle by recycling carbon rather than contributing it to the atmosphere. As a result, the aviation sector’s carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels are greatly reduced. Biodiesel is made domestically and is a sustainable resource. Because biodiesel is nonflammable and biodegradable, it is reasonably safe to handle, store, and dispose of.

Several airlines, like United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have already announced plans to use SAF in their fleets. Seeing more airlines open to SAF is extremely thrilling as it has a paradigm change in the petroleum sector.

What Are The Benefits Of Soy-fuel Innovation To Farmers?

SAF and biofuels are raising the market for soybeans raised by American farmers, enabling them to cut carbon emissions while boosting profits. A model that includes agriculture will put farmers under market pressure to increase the sustainability of their businesses. SAF enterprises that must maintain low carbon index ratings will select their soy from the farmers with the most environmentally friendly practices.

Soybean farmers in America are poised to enter a brand-new market for their products. They will contribute to supplying the fuel for the aircraft that crisscross the skies of the globe by providing the feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuels. There will be more revenue for US soybean producers.

A recent proposal by American legislators would grant jet fuel made from soybean oil an unprecedented tax credit. This is good news for biofuels producers and bad news for environmental organizations who claim crop-based components negate the advantages of producing cleaner fuels.

The Biden administration introduced “The “Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge” in 2021, a cross-government program to increase the production of 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030.

Bottom Line

The aviation sector is investing in alternatives to fossil jet fuels to minimize flight emissions as air travel throughout the world increases. Sustainable aviation fuels, which are jet fuels produced from waste and other sustainable feedstocks and have the potential to cut emissions by 80%, are one invention. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) may be blended with any fossil jet fuel to save emissions because it is produced from sustainable resources. Soy oil is referred to as a “drop-in” fuel since it may be used without requiring any modifications to the aircraft or infrastructure.