Is carbon capture essential for sustainable aviation?
The aviation sector and airliners, in general, have been noted as some of the worst contributors to global carbon emission levels and utilising carbon capture technology may be essential in lowering emissions in the sector, according to a recent poll by GlobalData.
68% of respondents out of a pool of over 250 key industry players consider climate change to be the most important environmental, social and legislative issue facing a modern society which has prompted a switch to greener initiatives with air travel.
The coronavirus pandemic saw global emissions decrease and ground the travel industry to a halt, but with economies opening back up, the rising cost of emissions has proven to be an issue for the industry.
Read more: Rising cost of pollution poses major problem for airlines
Last week, it was revealed a large-scale carbon capture project was being developed in northeast Scotland by Storegga. When complete, the project could capture up to one million tons of CO2 manually, the equivalent of 40 million trees.
Sequestered carbon has a number of uses: it can be stored, pumped into the ground, converted into liquid fuel or sold for commercial use.
GlobalData suggests any aviation fuel created using captured carbon dioxide may not eliminate the problem of carbon emissions entirely, but it could help bring help to introduce aspects of a circular economy to the industry and do something to reduce emissions.
The advent of commercial carbon capture technology is still a long way off, according to separate data from IdTechEx.
While the deployment of these technologies has ramped up in recent years, there are still significant hurdles - energy intensity, costs of application etc - that must be addressed before it becomes a viable method to help reach the global temperature goals laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement.
Read more: Carbon capture technology faces "significant hurdles," says IdTechEx
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the world wants to ‘stay safe’, the rise in global temperatures need to be kept below 1.5C by the end of the century.
2020 temperatures were already 1.2C above historical levels, facilitating a need to curb emissions on gases that are driving them up, of which CO2 emissions from airlines and general travel are a major factor.
“The potential for direct air capture to combat climate change and form a more sustainable future for travel is real," according to Johanna Bonhill-Smith, an analyst for GlobalData.
She described the applications of carbon capture as "majorly beneficial" for sustainable aviation going forward, but added it is not an end-all solution and other options must be used to further reduce emissions.
"It cannot be relied upon alone," she added.
Some airlines, such as United, have made pledges for sustainable aviation in recent months.
A consortium was also recently established in Europe to work on a concept for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under the German government's H2Global programme.
KLM also successfully operated its maiden voyage using sustainable biofuels back in February, backed by the Dutch government.
Read more: KLM operates world's first flight with synthetic fuel
While initiatives have been made to make the sector greener, great strives should still for complete carbon-neutrality or to allow the sector to operate at negative emissions.
GlobalData claims consumers also tend to be more environmentally focused. 42% of 21,000 respondents in a survey released in Q1 claim ethical, environmental and socially responsible products influence purchasing decisions, beating out digital advancement, which clocked in second at 35%.
Bonhill-Smith concluded: "[Carbon capture technology] should be looked to as an addition to other initiatives rolling out such as cutting emissions. Therefore, it is not a magic bullet to eradicate climate change, but possibly more of a magic bean for further growth and a more sustainable future.”
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