Accelerating decarbonization targets and building a sustainable future across the aviation industry are key priorities for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO).
August 20, 2024
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Accelerating decarbonization targets and building a sustainable future across the aviation industry are key priorities for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been identified as a critical decarbonization pathway to reduce aviation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in line with net-zero goals as set forth in the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan. Zia Haq, senior analyst for BETO’s Data, Modeling, and Analysis Program (DMA), is at the forefront of BETO’s mission to scale up new technologies to produce SAF on a commercial scale.
As a member of the BETO team since 2006, Haq is a chemical engineer providing strategic support to analysis and sustainability activities focused on biofuels for the aviation and marine sectors. Prior to joining BETO, he worked for the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for seven years, bringing extensive experience to the energy sector to ensure a sustainable future. “I wanted to be more on the R&D (research and development) and implementation side, so I came to BETO,” said Haq. “Currently my role is associated with SAFs and the SAF Grand Challenge and implementation.”
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL: THE KEY TO DECARBONIZATION
The SAF Grand Challenge outlines a government-wide strategy and ambitious objectives for domestic SAF production, with a target of 3 billion gallons by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050. A collaboration between the DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the initiative aims to facilitate technological innovation to produce SAF on a commercial scale, position the country as a global leader in the emerging SAF market, and enable America to meet the nation's goal of a clean energy bioeconomy.
“Many industries have bounced back post-COVID, and the airline industry is one area where we’ve seen an increase in passenger volume. Airports are busy. There is a demand for travel, and this will continue to be a growing sector, making decarbonization even more important. Implementing a good strategy is critical,” said Haq.
As the demand for air travel increases, aviation remains one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. U.S. commercial aviation currently consumes approximately 11% of all transportation energy and contributes 2% of the nation’s CO2 emissions. Bold measures, such as the SAF Grand Challenge, are necessary to create a greener, more sustainable aviation industry. The primary goals of the SAF Grand Challenge include achieving a minimum of 50% reduction in life cycle GHG compared to conventional fuel and supplying SAF to meet 100% of aviation fuel demand by 2050. The interagency team released the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap in 2022 to ensure alignment of government and industry actions of the SAF Grand Challenge that was launched in 2021.
Now, agencies are working on an implementation framework to provide the public with an understanding of agency capabilities and information on current federal programs addressing activities identified in the roadmap. A significant part of Haq’s role involves coordination to make sure information is not duplicated and ensuring that each entity is receiving the most value from the data and analysis being conducted. “Right now, we are working on deliverables. We want to have a resource for external audiences to show them who is doing what in the SAF space, and that’s what the implementation plan will do. It will be relatively easier to read than the roadmap, and it will allow people to quickly scan through the document and pinpoint their interest,” said Haq.
The SAF Grand Challenge helps position the United States as an exporter of SAF technology and fuels to also support other countries in their efforts to decarbonize aviation.
COMBATING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THROUGH AVIATION AND MARITIME DECARBONIZATION
R&D to reduce emissions also extends to the study of aviation-induced cloudiness (contrails), a project that Haq also co-leads (along with Kevin Stork of the DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)). “Contrails are high-level vapor emissions from aircraft when they fly at certain altitudes, and it is basically water that gets condensed and becomes a little cloud. Although it's water, it’s an issue because it’s deposited at a high altitude and turns out to have a much higher global warming impact than we realized,” stated Haq.
DOE is working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and FAA to understand and quantify the problem by collecting data to work on a mitigation plan. DOE’s Office of Sustainable Transportation and Fuels, which includes BETO, VTO, and the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), are working with several national laboratories, including Sandia National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, on early-stage experimental validation of the impact of contrails and the potential that SAF can play in reducing it.
Haq stated, “BETO is involved because we’re working on SAF development, so we need to know what kind of SAF has the maximum effect on contrail reduction. Emissions from aviation impact those who live around airports. It is in everybody’s interest, and FAA recognizes this, to minimize the environmental emissions around airports.”
In addition to aviation, Haq emphasized the R&D being done in the marine sector, saying this is a good opportunity for growth and decarbonization. International maritime transport accounts for approximately 3% of GHG emissions. This includes a wide variety of vessels, from small recreational boats, tugboats, barges, ferries, and massive, ocean-going container vessels. With a far lower carbon footprint than petroleum-based fuels, sustainable marine fuels are critical for lowering GHG emissions and promoting energy security in the maritime sector.
“There is a huge potential for the marine sector to decarbonize, and I’m working with Josh Messner, Systems Development and Integration BETO technology manager, to understand if there’s a way to decarbonize aviation and marine sectors together since some conversion processes produce both renewable diesel and SAF,” said Haq.
With the work you’re doing in the SAF sector, what is a project that you feel most proud of and why?
“I think BETO can feel most proud of the GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) model. I worked with Michael Wang, Director of the Systems Assessment Center – Environmental Assessment Leader within the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis division, Argonne National Laboratory, for many years on this model. BETO, VTO, and HFTO have co-funded GREET development for a long time, and it’s getting a lot of attention by media and industry. It’s a publicly available model and everyone can download and use it. It is a great tool, and we’ve been very lucky that we’ve had continuous support and encouragement to develop and maintain this model. You can use it to understand the life cycle implications of biofuels as well as other options like electrification, hydrogen, and more.”
Why is the clean energy transition important?
“The main issue of decarbonization, not just the transportation sector but the whole economy, is key, and we need to be thinking about that more seriously as a nation—not just as individuals or DOE, but a nation. How can we live in a more sustainable and decarbonized world? That affects everybody from farmers that see their crops impacted —to urban city dwellers in New York, where they have already seen flooding on subways, and wildfires burning in the West, generating smoke that impacts air quality on the East coast. These outcomes will become more and more common. Everyone is affected by the climate issue. Of course, rich countries have more money and can spend more toward mitigation. There’s a huge discussion going on at international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank on how to deal with these impacts. I think we’ll have to adapt to it and find solutions, work those solutions into our day-to-day life, and we have to all work together to solve it.”
What advice do you have for people looking to enter the clean energy sector?
“It’s a great time to be in the clean energy sector. The job opportunities are enormous in both the federal government and private sector. There are plenty of opportunities for improvement and growth and playing a role in trying to solve the problem. These are very difficult problems, but we’ve solved difficult problems before, and we’ll solve this one. Look at the advances in healthcare, like eradicating smallpox and polio, that once were common diseases. Franklin Roosevelt was struck down by polio when he became president, and now we don’t hear about polio. You get your vaccine and you’re done. So that’s the thing. We’ll come up with a solution, but we must have people working in it. We need fresh minds and new thinking. A new person can come along and look at the problem differently. That’s the type of innovation and thinking that we need. It’s a great time. I encourage people to get involved and get in the field."
What are your next career steps?
“I’ve always had an interest in getting involved at the United Nations with international climate negotiations. That would be a cool experience in the future.”