Every year, farmers in India burn millions of tonnes of stalks, husks and other plant matter left after each harvest, a practice that has long contributed to South Asia’s toxic winter smog.
But that agricultural waste – known as crop residue – could instead become a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for airlines around the world, according to a new study.
SAF is a low-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel, blending aviation turbine fuel with sustainably sourced raw materials.
Combining biomass from crop residue with green hydrogen could allow India to produce SAF at costs up to 40 per cent below global benchmarks, according to a new report from think tank Energy Innovation and UC Berkeley’s India Energy and Climate Centre.
“This is a rare opportunity to turn a domestic air-pollution challenge into a strategic clean-fuel export industry,” said Amol Phadke, faculty director of the India Energy and Climate Centre at UC Berkeley and one of the report’s co-authors.
The report identifies three advantages that could help India become a major SAF supplier: some of the world’s cheapest solar power, a national drive to develop green hydrogen and an abundant supply of crop residue.