American Airlines (AA) has undertaken a flight using electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF), which is created from captured carbon dioxide and produced with renewable energy.
The firm has a partnership with Infinium which has been making eSAF at its factory since 2023. It is made using waste carbon dioxide and renewable electricity in a process that can reduce emissions by 90% compared to conventional petroleum-based jet fuel.
The eSAF batch was blended with conventional jet fuel and can be used in today’s commercial aircraft engines and fuelling infrastructure without further modification.
While SAF is touted as a way to lower emissions in the aviation sector in the short term, it cannot be used on its own and needs to be mixed with regular jet fuel to act as a drop-in replacement. SAF is typically used to produce paraffinic fuels, while aircraft require aromatic molecules for proper performance.
Under current international aviation regulations set by standards development organisation...