All About SAF
What is SAF?
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a liquid fuel currently used in commercial aviation. SAF is capable of reducing the aviation industry's CO2 emissions by up to 80%.
What is SAF made from?
A variety of sources (feedstock) can be used to produce SAF, including, but not limited to vegetable and bean oils, waste oil and fats, green and municipal waste and non-food crops. It can also be produced synthetically via a process that captures carbon directly from the air
Why is SAF sustainable?
SAF is sustainable because the raw feedstock does not compete with food crops or water supplies nor is it responsible for forest degradation. Whereas fossil fuels add to the overall level of CO2 by emitting carbon that had been previously locked away, SAF recycles the CO2 which has been absorbed by the biomass used in the feedstock during its lifecycle.
How can SAF make a difference?
It is estimated that SAF could contribute about 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by the aviation industry in order to reach net-zero by 2050. This will require a massive increase in production capabilities and infrastructure.
The largest acceleration is expected to happen in the 2030s as policy support for SAF becomes global, SAF competes with fossil kerosene, and credible offsets become scarcer.
SAF Milestones
2008
First test flight with biojet fuel is performed by Virgin Atlantic.
2017
The IATA AGM in Cancun sees IATA members unanimously agree on the deployment of SAF.
2011 - 2015
Commercial passenger flights are performed using up to 50% biojet fuel. Feedstock sources include used cooking oil, jatropha, camelina, and algae.
2019
More than 45 airlines and 250,000 commercial flights gain experience using SAF.
2016
United becomes the first airline to introduce SAF into normal business operations.
2020
Two new technical SAF certifications are approved by ASTM. Approved technical pathways for SAF production increase to seven.
Azure's role with SAF.
Azure is developing a processing facility to produce approximately one billion liters of SAF annually.
The processing facility will be capable of utilizing various feedstocks, such as vegetable/bean oils, animal fats, used cooking oils, or non edible food crops.
Our Production Strategy
Once operational, Azure’s facility will displace approximately 2.6 mega tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. This is the equivalent to removing the annual emissions from:
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566,000 passenger vehicles
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6.4 million barrels of crude oil
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251 million gallons of diesel