How Carbon Sequestration Influences Sustainable Aviation Fuel Strategies

January 17, 2024
By JBEI

Researchers investigate how fuel price and the value of soil organic carbon sequestration can  impact sustainable aviation fuel production

The Science:  Certain crops can be converted into sustainable aviation fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere. There are many things to consider when deciding which crops will help us implement sustainable aviation fuel on a large scale. These crops need to be able to produce large amounts of fuel while also being economically feasible for all stakeholders. It’s also important to consider the environmental impacts of growing these crops and their potential for restoring carbon in soils. Researchers evaluated the entire landscape of next-generation sustainable aviation fuel feedstocks and determined which bioenergy crops and strategies work best across the country.

The Impact:  This study is the first to combine location-specific crop performance with the economics and environmental impacts of downstream conversion to next-generation sustainable aviation fuels at a national level. The researchers compared three bioenergy crops: Miscanthus, sorghum, and switchgrass. Specifically, they analyzed how the value of soil organic carbon sequestration and the selling price of sustainable aviation fuel impact the feasibility of producing fuels from these crops on U.S. agricultural lands. They determined that Miscanthus is the better candidate for sustainable aviation fuel across most agricultural land in the contiguous U.S., due to its higher yields and ability to sequester more carbon. 

Summary:  Producing sustainable aviation fuels can help meet the aviation industry’s need for decarbonization. Their production can also result in the removal of atmospheric CO2 through soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The values of these two outcomes — quantified as fuel price and payments to farmers for SOC sequestration — may incentivize different activities. To study these two strategies, the researchers assigned different monetary values to SOC sequestration and modeled what outcomes this would create, compared with what would happen if fuel prices were high. They found that if SOC sequestration is highly valued, Miscanthus is the best choice as a bioenergy crop. Sorghum and switchgrass would become more competitive if crude oil prices were to increase. Different values would also affect how much viable land there is in the U.S. to grow these crops. Their findings demonstrate the importance of establishing SOC sequestration values, and provide different strategies for both the agricultural and sustainable aviation fuel industries.  

Publication: Gautam, S., Baral, N., Mishra, U., et al. Impact of bioenergy feedstock carbon farming on sustainable aviation fuel viability in the United States. PNAS (2023). [DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312667120]

Written by Emily Nelson