RCRE: Toward Net-Zero Air Travel via the Take-Up of Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Fundamental Characterizations and Application-Oriented Implementations

Abstract

Transiting to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the primary pathway for aviation industry to achieve complete decarbonization. However, the certification of a single SAF candidate is a prolonged process that easily takes 5 years, costs 10-15 million USD and consumes over 650,000-L fuel samples, with a high chance of not being approved. The high cost/risk associated with SAF development has made scaling up SAF technologies particularly challenging. Hence, we aim to circumvent this issue by developing an innovative three-tiered framework. Based on information derived from quantum mechanics theories and experimental characterizations, the framework can rapidly assess the technical and economic potential in SAF candidates. Moreover, through an optimization mechanism, feedback information can be provided to fuel manufacturers to troubleshoot/optimize SAF candidates if they fail to pass the assessment. With this three-tiered framework, assessing an SAF candidate can be achieved in a few months at the cost of <1 million USD and <20 L fuel samples. The results from the project can bring immediate advancement to the characterization of SAF performance, and promote the market introduction of low-carbon aviation fuels that will mitigate the carbon footprint of the aviation industry.

Biography

Dr Cheng received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Melbourne. He was appointed a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley from 2017 to 2018, and a Postdoc in the Energy Systems Division of Argonne National Laboratory from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, Dr Cheng joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as an Assistant Professor. After joining the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dr Cheng has been actively participating in collaborative efforts to formulate tailored SAF solutions for airlines of Hong Kong and China Mainland. He has been working with Cathay Pacific on its localized SAF sourcing strategy, as well as Government bodies to address the environmental challenges facing Hong Kong aviation via the production and use of SAF.