AVIATION
Sustainable aviation fuels: Clearing the runway for global scale
Ruella Menezes, Director, Energy, Kline and Company
This article considers the implications for lubricant formulators of the increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Jet fuel is responsible for roughly 2–3% of global CO2
emissions and stands as aviation’s largest decarbonisation challenge. While hydrogen and electric propulsion hold long-term promise, both are still in early stages of development. Electric aircraft face fundamental energy density limits, confining them to short-haul, low-capacity operations.
Hydrogen offers cleaner potential but would require a wholesale redesign of aircraft and fuelling infrastructure. In the near term, that leaves
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as the only practical, scalable pathway for cutting commercial aviation’s carbon footprint.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a drop-in liquid hydrocarbon fuel, chemically similar to conventional jet fuel, but produced from sustainable feedstocks. SAF can reduce lifecycle CO2
emissions by up to
80% compared to conventional fuel, depending on the feedstock and production pathway (ICAO – International Civil Aviation Organisation).
Figure 1: Comparison of different types of SAF Production Pathways.
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.189 OCTOBER 2025
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