Last Wednesday (29), Gilberto Peralta, president of Airbus in Brazil, said that the country could become “Saudi Arabia” for aviation fuels.
According to Peralta, the great current dilemma is the replacement of fossil fuels in airplanes with renewable energy sources – the search is to exchange kerosene for something more “green”.
“The world is discussing sustainability and replacing fossil fuels with a renewable source in aircraft. This change in the matrix involves agribusiness. It is he who will produce the new fuel that will power global aviation. And the most prone place for this in the world is Mato Grosso […] Brazil could become the Saudi Arabia of aviation fuel”, highlighted Peralta, then, at an event in Sinop (MT).
The president of Airbus in Brazil explains that no matter what the raw material for this fuel is, it must be uniform, having the same composition, so that it can move aircraft engines and turbines without any need for adjustment or adaptation.
The transformation of agricultural carbon into SAF
“The premise of aviation is safety. Everything must be validated and regulated twice. The new fuel will be renewable, originating from a different source. However, in practice it will be identical to kerosene, burning in a similar way, maintaining unchanged properties and safety, as emphasized.
According to him, what agribusiness will plant, harvest and supply to aviation is carbon. The base may come from vegetable oils, animal fat or wood. To transform the carbon produced by the agricultural sector into aviation fuel, it is then necessary to add hydrogen, which can be extracted from the air in photovoltaic plants. The ratio is two parts gas to one part carbon.
Peralta summarized that SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) is sustainable aviation fuel. It has the same composition as kerosene, but comes from a renewable source. “I believe that these projects will soon gain industrial scale and proportion, replacing aviation fuel.” Brazil has the opportunity to lead this process, producing more than 50 billion liters of fuel for the world. I see Mato Grosso and, in this case, Sinop, as playing a fundamental role, due to what agribusiness has done”, he added.
Source: datagro
