North Carolina Trees a Potential Source for Green Aviation Fuel

A new partnership announced last month between Envia, which turns trees and wood products into pellets that are burnt for energy, and Alder Fuels, a privately owned greed crude producer, could see a “green” aviation fuel derived from North Carolina’s trees helping to connect cities and countries around the globe.

In the announcement, Enviva said that it has struck a deal with Alder Fuels to supply up to 750,000 metric tons (2,204 pounds per metric ton) of wood biomass starting in 2024.

The aviation industry in and of itself is not a huge greenhouse gas producer, especially when compared to other industry sectors. It accounts for 2.4% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, as of 2018. Nevertheless, the aviation industry is often taken to task because it involves a relatively small number of individuals producing a large per-capita amount of emissions.

This in turn has led to a major push to develop and quickly scale up renewable fuel sources, especially after major US airlines committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

According to the US Department of Energy’s Biomass Technologies Office, “Sustainable airline fuel (SAF) made from renewable biomass and waste resources have the potential to deliver the performance-based jet fuel with a fraction of its carbon footprint, giving airlines solid footing for decoupling greenhouse gas emissions from the flight.”