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SunCloud-777 OP t1_j2yc49d wrote

  • The aviation industry has set itself the ambitious target of reducing its carbon emissions to zero by 2050. A raw material that was previously considered kitchen waste could provide it with a realistic chance of achieving this goal.

  • The reason for the sudden demand is that used cooking oil can now be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. About a third of the 400,000 tons collected in Japan in the past year was used for fuel for planes and other vehicles.

  • SAF is the aviation industry's term for fuel derived from non-fossil sources. Used cooking oil is the main substance used for production, but research is underway to identify other viable waste sources.

  • the aviation industry increasingly sees SAF as its saving grace. Estimates suggest that replacing conventional jet fuel with SAF would reduce industry-wide emissions by approximately 80 percent.

  • EU policy promoting SAF means the fuel is predominately used in Europe. But a major plant is now under construction in Singapore that would have an annual production capacity of one million tons, about five times the current global total of 200,000.

  • Earlier this year, a range of prominent Japanese companies formed Act For Sky, an organization dedicated to producing and promoting SAF. Members include major carriers All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, as well as firms not in the aviation industry, such as Itochu, Idemitsu Kosan, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

  • One of the group's key focuses is procuring used cooking oil. It has compiled a list of businesses willing to cooperate, including major fast-food restaurants, frozen food producers, sushi chains, and hotels.

  • Three Act For Sky members, JGC, Cosmo Oil and REVO International are leading the group's efforts to produce SAF domestically. They are currently building a plant in Sakai City, Osaka, that will have a production target of approximately 30,000 tons in three years. It's a relatively small amount but it's just the first of many such projects planned in Japan.

  • Nishimura Yuki, a JGC executive involved in Act For Sky, says establishing a domestic production base is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of the overall SAF project.

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