Biofuels for Aviation

Preface

Dr C.J. Chuck

The aviation industry uses approximately 10.8 exajoules (EJ) of fossil fuel energy every year, produces 700 m tonnes of CO_2eq, and accounts for nearly 12% of global transportation emissions. In addition to its detrimental environmental impact, fossil-derived jet fuel is increasingly expensive and subject to market volatility. These factors are driving the development of renewable fuels for aviation. Recent decades have seen accelerated improvements in aircraft design that have produced huge efficiency savings. However, due to current infrastructure and safety requirements and the need for extended range versus payload, an energy-dense liquid fuel will still be necessary for the foreseeable future. Thus, to reduce the environmental ...