Engineering giant Rolls-Royce is leading a new two-year º£½ÇÊÓƵ project to find smarter ways of using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The company is looking at the fuel's role in reducing non-CO2 emissions, particularly those associated with contrails, which form when warm moist exhaust fumes from an aircraft mix with cold air and produce ice crystal clouds.
Rolls-Royce, which has º£½ÇÊÓƵ bases in Derby and Filton near Bristol, is working with British Airways, Heathrow and Imperial College London on the project. It is being funded by the Aviation Technology Institute's Non-CO2 Programme.
Constantly changing weather means different flights cause contrails at different times and locations, yet most of the potential climate impact comes from only a small proportion of flights.
Data from British Airways flight trials will be combined with advanced modelling and satellite observations to monitor contrail formation following targeted SAF usage.
"The project aims to show that we can prioritise particular flights for SAF, focusing on where it can deliver the greatest environmental benefit and maximise the effectiveness of the current levels of supply," a spokesperson for Rolls-Royce said.
SAF is expected to play a key role in aviation’s decarbonisation journey, but experts say it has the potential to reduce the climate impact of the thin clouds of ice particles that can form behind planes.
The amount of SAF currently available is only a small proportion of aviation’s overall fuel requirements. It is typically mixed with conventional fossil fuel, resulting in wide-scale deployment at very low SAF-blend ratios.
However, SAF use is expected to increase in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ with the introduction of the SAF mandate, which came into force at the start of the year and will see 10% of SAF in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ fuel in 2030 and 22% by 2040.
Industry minister Chris McDonald said: “This is government and business working together at its best, and I look forward to seeing how this Rolls-Royce project can help keep º£½ÇÊÓƵ industry at the forefront of the race for sustainable aviation."
The funding programme is delivered by the Aerospace Technology Institute, Department for Business and Trade and Innovate º£½ÇÊÓƵ, in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Natural Environment Research Council.
Tom Byrne, British Airways’ head of net zero and environment, added: "At British Airways, we believe sustainable aviation fuel is central to the future of flying."
The project is due to conclude in April 2027. Air bp will provide SAF technical expertise to the project team.
