Agro Fuels in Aviation

By Christina Kamp

Lufthansa, along with a few other airlines, is looking at agro fuels to reduce aviation emissions. The fact that Lufthansa's plans include Jatropha has led to protest by environmental organisations who point out that Jatropha and similar plants can not be grown in a sustainable manner.

According to the "Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group" (SAFUG), alternative fuels must perform as well as, or better than, kerosene-based fuel, but with a smaller carbon lifecycle. They must require minimum land and water to produce, and must not compete with food or fresh water resources. In addition, the cultivation and harvest of plant stock must provide socio-economic value to local communities.

However, according to findings by the German Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), this does not apply to Jatropha. In their publication "Jatropha Reality Check", GTZ says: "Based on our findings, Jatropha currently does not appear to be economically viable for smallholder farming when grown either within a monoculture or intercrop plantation model. (...) Therefore, we recommend that the all stakeholders carefully re-evaluate their current activities promoting Jatropha as a promising bio energy feedstock. We also suggest that all public and private sector actors for the time being cease promoting the crop among smallholder farmers for any plantation other than as a fence." The NGO "Rainforest Rescue" calls upon Lufthansa to give up plans to achieve a five to ten percent agrofuel-content in aviation fuel by 2020.

Nevertheless, there is an urgent need to reduce aviation emissions. According to new estimates by climate researchers (Lee et al., 2009*), the impact of aviation on global warming in 2005 is 14 percent higher than estimated in 2000. According to the new estimates, total radiative forcing of climate due to aviation represents 4.9 percent of total anthropogenic forcing (2 - 14 percent, 90 percent likelihood range). The scientists suggest new aviation technologies rather than alternative fuels.

*Aviation and global climate change in the 21st century. By David S. Lee, David W. Fahey, Piers M. Forster, Peter J. Newton, Ron C.N. Wit, Ling L. Lim, Bethan Owen, Robert Sausen. In: Atmospheric Environment. Elsevier, 2009.