Elizabeth Balzani

According to a recent article published by PR Newswire, United Airlines became the first airline ever to buy sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for its flights at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This is possible thanks to a company called Neste, which plans to sell as much as one million gallons of its SAF to United Airlines.

SAF is a term used to describe lower-carbon fuels made from renewable materials such as biomass. In fact, the D.O.E. announced that forestry and agricultural wastes alone could provide enough biomass to replace 75% of current U.S. aviation fuel with SAF. SAF can also be made with used cooking oil and animal fats, which are primary ingredients in the SAF that Neste sold to United.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that in 2022, burning jet fuel made up 2% of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. If the global energy sector is to reach the IEA’s goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, carbon emissions from aviation must decrease.

Luckily, Neste’s SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80% over the lifecycle course of the fuel, from production to fuel use. Another benefit of Neste’s SAF is that it does not require new infrastructure to be built, which reduces the cost of implementing SAF. Neste’s SAF combines safely with existing jet fuel and jet engines.

By the end of 2024, United Airlines expects SAF to compose three percent of its total fuel usage at the O’Hare International Airport. It’s a start.

Elizabeth Balzani is a recent college graduate. She has worked at places such as University of Nebraska, Cornell University, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, conducting research on green energy, biology, and how the two intersect. She is a contributing writer for G.E.T.