Development and Application of Novel Life Cycle-based Framework: Towards a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Strategy for Canada

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Systems level approaches encompassing technical, environmental, and socio-economic components are necessary to evaluate the sustainability of emerging energy technologies. In spite of the importance of analyzing potential net benefits during R&D and deployment, prospective analyses of energy systems continue to be problematic. The majority of focus on transportation sector sustainability has been on light-duty vehicles, with comparatively little examination of the aviation sector with its unique challenges and complete reliance on fossil fuels. Motivating a critical evaluation of alternative aviation fuels are: 1) that fuel cost represents ~1/3 of airlines' operating costs; 2) fuel demand growth is exceeding aircraft efficiency improvements; 3) International Air Transport Association's ambitious alternative fuel use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals; and, 4) expected regulations that will limit or put a price on GHG emissions. Aviation fuels currently represent a $212 B/y global market and biofuels are viewed by many as the most promising alternative due to their potential for domestic production, low GHG emissions and ability to be used in current aircraft. However, aviation biofuel are not without challenges, including early stage of development, cost, supply and uncertain environmental impacts. There is considerable debate as to which, if any, fuels and technologies are viable at moderate scale. Development of an improved systems level framework to critically evaluate energy supply options for Canada's aviation sector, and an understanding of key domestic feedstocks and production processes for aviation biofuels, are urgently needed. With the overall aim of advancing the state-of-the-art in systems analysis and improving the sustainability of the aviation sector, the proposed research will; a) Develop a generalized systems-based decision support framework to evaluate sustainability implications of bioenergy systems, b) Improve our understanding of the sustainability implications of feedstock, supply chain and conversion process options for aviation fuels in the Canadian context, through applying the framework to biojet and conventional jet fuels, and c) Investigate, from a sustainability perspective, the role aviation biofuels could, and more importantly, should play in Canada's energy future through examination of plausible scenarios. The proposed research program is innovative and expected to have a transformational effect by significantly improving how we evaluate the sustainability of bioenergy technologies through more comprehensive and accurate analysis. The program results have the potential to impact society and its sustainability through facilitating scientific and engineering progress, improved decision making in the transportation energy and aviation sectors and government and the training of HQP in an emerging field.