Quantifying the Environmental and Economic Performance of e-SAF Pathways
The economic and environmental performance of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) depends strongly on the feedstock and conversion technology used. Each pathway must therefore be evaluated individually, covering the entire supply chain from feedstock production to fuel combustion.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method is commonly used to evaluate environmental impacts, accounting for all emissions, resource use, and energy inputs. In the EU, renewable fuels of non-biological origin—such as those targeted in e-SAF - must achieve at least a 70% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil jet fuel. Under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) scheme, SAF must achieve a minimum 10% GHG reduction to qualify, with higher incentives for greater emission savings. Beyond GHGs, water use is also an important consideration for e-SAF.
Economically, Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) combines cost and performance analysis to guide technology development. Existing studies show that e-SAF technologies can cut GHG emissions by more than 70%, but remain 3–5 times more expensive than fossil jet fuel and are expected to stay costlier until 2040.
No integrated assessment yet exists for the specific e-SAF pathways studied, though recent TEA work has defined cost targets for plasma-catalytic CO2/CH4 conversion and electrocatalytic CO2-to-ethanol/ethylene processes, where costs depend mainly on electricity price and efficiency at this early development stage.