Sasol Makes Strides Towards Alternative Fuels for Aviation

OIL companies around the world are forging ahead with the development of alternative fuels for the aviation industry, and petrochemicals giant Sasol is no exception.

Sasol has already made significant strides in the use of coal-to- liquid (CTL) fuel for aviation, and recently , along with the global oil industry, won approval for the wider use of synthetic fuels.

The move to new fuel sources took a major step forward in September when ASTM International, the global standards body, approved the use of a 50% blend of synthetic fuel with traditional crude-based jet fuel.

"This has opened the door for Sasol to supply the airline industry with a blended gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel from its various plants." Paul Morgan, manager of fuel technology at Sasol, said this week.

Last month a Qatar Airways Airbus A340-600 became the first commercial aircraft to use a GTL blended fuel, produced by oil group Shell, for a paid passenger flight between London and Doha. Qatar Petroleum and Shell are expected to produce around 1million tons of GTL kerosene per annum from 2012.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker lauded the flight as a step closer to a cleaner environment.

Sasol remains a world leader in the production of synthetic fuels and has since 1999 supplied the local industry with a 50% blend of CTL fuel. Last April it won approval for the use of 100% CTL fuel in commercial aviation.

Morgan said that Sasol had not begun supplying pure CTL fuel to the country's airports as the logistics were not in place. "We do not have a pipeline from our plant in Secunda but if the need arose we already have the necessary approvals to do so," he said.

Sasol is conducting research into environmentally- friendly fuels, particularly from sustainable sources. "Sasol, together with researchers at Rhodes University, is looking at developing an algae- based fuel and is currently working to improve the oil yield," said Morgan. He said the group was also looking at the possibility of mixing fuel from wood chips with its GTL fuel.

With the airline industry pledging to achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020 and to reduce emissions 50% by 2050, these developments are being keenly watched.

But Morgan said widespread commercial use of biofuels was many years away. "While various airlines, together with Boeing, have had several test flights, the fact is that a commercially available fuel is still at least 10-15 years away. Unlike fuels used for cars, producing fuel for large commercial aircraft means certain strict performance parameters need to be met and (they) need to adhere to the same specifications as traditional kerosene."

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