On the sidelines of the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, UAE clean-energy company Masdar and energy giant TotalEnergies have conducted a test flight to demonstrate a potential pathway for transforming methanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
SAF is typically made from waste materials like cooking oil and can cut lifecycle emissions by 80% compared to traditional aviation fuel. As it can be used as a drop-in replacement for jet fuel, its gradual adoption will enable the aviation sector to lower its emissions without waiting for low-carbon flight technologies to mature.
eSAF, meanwhile, is a synthetic fuel that is produced using renewable energy, but it is also compatible with traditional aviation fuel with a similar level of performance. The Alcohol-to-Jet Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (ATJ-SPK) pathway is already regarded as fit for international standards for aviation fuel, although methanol is not specified as a suitable alcohol. Nevertheless, methanol can be produced using renewable energy, so the new pathway could help make eSAF a feasible technology.
TotalEnergies’ Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Patrick Pouyanné, said about this:
“As industry and energy companies, our collective job is to work on the next generation of clean aviation fuels that could complement SAF currently produced from used cooking oil. This novel pathway to jet, through e-SAF, is critical to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.”
TotalEnergies, of course, also makes lubricant products like the Total Azolla and Total Equivis hydraulic oils. Speak with our helpful team to learn more about Total’s full range.
