First passenger flight performed with sustainable synthetic kerosene

[P4-630]

World first in the Netherlands by KLM, Shell and Dutch ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management: first passenger flight performed with sustainable synthetic kerosene.

For the first time worldwide, a passenger flight partly flown on sustainably produced synthetic kerosene, was carried out in The Netherlands. This was announced today during the international conference on Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in The Hague. Shell, producer of the sustainable kerosene and KLM, operating the flight, presented this showcase during the meeting initiated by Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management. European politicians, policymakers, representatives from the business community, the (aviation) industry and NGOs participated at the conference.

The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in Europe that aim to boost the development and application of sustainable aviation fuels to make aviation more sustainable. The Netherlands wants to stimulate the development and application of sustainable aviation fuels (biofuels and synthetic kerosene) so European airlines will be able to fly entirely on sustainable fuel by 2050. The Dutch government supports various initiatives to stimulate production and use and thereby make it commercially viable. The construction of the first European factory for sustainable biokerosene in Delfzijl, The Netherlands, for which SkyNRG is collaborating with KLM, Schiphol Airport and SHV Energy, is one example.

500 liters delivered, refueled and used

As announced during the conference, the first commercial passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Madrid last month, was carried out on an admixture of 500 liters of sustainable synthetic kerosene. Shell produced the synthetic kerosene in its research center in Amsterdam based on CO2, water and renewable energy from sun and wind from Dutch soil.

I am proud that KLM is today operating the industry first flight using synthetic kerosene made from renewable sources. The transition from fossil fuel to sustainable alternatives is one of the largest challenges in aviation. Fleet renewal contributed significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, but the upscaling of production and the use of sustainable aviation fuel will make the biggest difference for the current generation of aircraft. That is why we teamed up with various partners some time ago, to stimulate the development of sustainable synthetic kerosene. This first flight on synthetic kerosene shows that it is possible in practice and that we can move forward.

Pieter Elbers, CEO KLM

Making aviation more sustainable is an international challenge that we face together. Today we are taking a great step in the new chapter of aviation. This promising innovation will be of great importance in the coming decades to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation. It is great that in the Netherlands we were the first to show that this is possible: a big compliment for all involved. I hope that, in these turbulent times for aviation, this will inspire people in the sector to continue on this course.

Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Watermanagement

Shell is an active player in the energy transition and our contribution to this world first is an example of this. I am extremely proud that we have succeeded in producing 500 liters of jet fuel for the first time based on CO2, water and renewable energy. It is an important first step and together with our partners we now need to scale up, accelerate and make it commercially viable.

Marjan van Loon, President and CEO Shell Netherlands

New initiatives and startups

During the conference, the stage was set for various new initiatives and startups. For example, the start-up Synkero announced that it is collaborating with Port of Amsterdam, Schiphol, KLM and SkyNRG on the realization of a commercial synthetic sustainable kerosene factory in the Amsterdam port. The project seeks to link with sustainable initiatives in the North Sea Canal area, such as the establishment of a 100 megawatt hydrogen plant where up to 15,000 tons of green hydrogen can be produced with sustainable electricity.

Another initiative is the construction of a demonstration factory for sustainable kerosene using captured CO2 from the air as a raw material in Rotterdam. The Zenid initiative, in which Uniper, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Climeworks, SkyNRG and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport are participating, uses a combination of innovative technologies to focus on CO2-neutral aviation with sustainable synthetic kerosene.

Several European politicians, including Commissioner Timmermans, the German transport minister Scheuer and his French colleague Djebbari, underlined the importance of developing sustainably produced aviation fuels to reduce CO2 emissions and give aviation a good future.

Various European member states have indicated during the conference that they want to work on this. In a joint statement, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg and Spain indicate that recovery from the current crisis due to the pandemic must go hand in hand with accelerating the sustainability of the aviation sector in order to achieve climate goals and call on the European Commission to come up with a European blending obligation. The Member States view the development of sustainable synthetic kerosene in addition to sustainable biokerosene as one of the most promising and effective ways to reduce aviation emissions in the coming decades.

World first in the Netherlands by KLM, Shell and Dutch ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management: first passenger flight performed with sustainable synthetic kerosene

For the first time worldwide, a passenger flight partly flown on sustainably produced synthetic kerosene, was carried out in The Netherlands. This was announced today during the international conference on Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in The Hague. Shell, producer of the...

news.klm.com

 

[Caring1]

You guys harvest sun and wind from the soil?

 

[xtreemchaos]

im not convinced, theres many ways to bake a cake but it all uses fuel and burning fuel is no good for the planet less flights is what the planet needs not thinking up different ways to carry on what we are doing.

 

[Supercrit]

Tldr only 500 liters of it used as a marketing stunt. A dream liner can hold 120k liters full tank.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

im not convinced, theres many ways to bake a cake but it all uses fuel and burning fuel is no good for the planet less flights is what the planet needs not thinking up different ways to carry on what we are doing.

bring on teleportation!

 

[xtreemchaos]

bring on teleportation!

Right on .

 

[R-T-B]

Shell's interest in renewables doesn't extend beyond PR stunts, I assure you.

 

[cst1992]

What will this solve?
There are enough fossil fuels in the earth to last another hundred years, but we'll all be dead before then due to runaway global warming if we don't focus on climate change control first.
These guys are solving the wrong problem! Focus on electric planes or hydrogen-powered planes!

 

[remixedcat]

bring on teleportation!

wont trust google or zuck with that or apple... apple would nickle and dime you for every limb transported and when you got to your destination would have missing fingers and apple will sell those back to you.

 

[Zach_01]

Well not every shiny thing is gold. We must consider how are those "green" fuels or electicity are produced. You dont find H2 in the street. The main source of it, is still burning NG (NaturalGas) on special units. That goes for electricity too. Burning NG... Do we know how these SAfuels are produced? Or the chemistry behind it? Other than just the "use of captured CO2 as a raw material"...

 

[cst1992]

Elon Musk has said for a long time that hydrogen is a waste of energy due to the way it's produced and stored.
Using electricity to extract hydrogen and then again to store it - instead just store the electricity directly.

 

[R-T-B]

instead just store the electricity directly.

How? Keep in mind no battery is 100% efficient. There is literally no perfectly efficient way to "store power." Fuel cells are designed with the idea that they'd be a better storage medium than batteries efficiency wise, not vice versa.

 

[SpaceGeek]

I see many people here are worried about the ways of how this "eco-fuel" is produced. Well, perhaps, it's right, but we mustn't negatively take all innovations. Sometimes eco-fuel is really eco. I know one UK space company that manufactures eco-fuel from plastic waste using special equipment. It's more energy-efficient than usual kerosene; moreover, it's not so harmful to our environment. Even though many of you state that it won't help us overcome global warming and people will still use fossil fuel; however, it doesn't mean we shouldn't take steps to a cleaner environment.

 

[Caring1]

How? Keep in mind no battery is 100% efficient. There is literally no perfectly efficient way to "store power." Fuel cells are designed with the idea that they'd be a better storage medium than batteries efficiency wise, not vice versa.

Capacitors for short term storage?

 

[R-T-B]

Capacitors for short term storage?

Even capacitors are not 100% efficient and most vehicles would hate the depletion rate.

 

[dragontamer5788]

1. Batteries -- Too heavy for flight. No roadmap shows any feasible solution for the airline industry in the next 5, 10, or 50 years even. A few test flights on battery-power have been done, but only on prototype super-lightweight airplanes, nothing like a passenger jet or even a Cessna.

2. Hydrogen -- Hydrogen is very light (solving the problem with batteries), but take up way too much volume. As a gas, its simply using too much volume to be used. IIRC, liquid hydrogen tanks are considered, but are highly explosive, dangerous, and require cryogenic solutions for airplanes. If you thought explosive lithium-ion was bad, remember the last time Hydrogen was used for a major flight... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster). Now imagine compressing said explosive gas hundreds of times above atmospheric pressure and storing it on a relatively unstable, moving airframe.

3. Biofuels -- Probably the best shot at this problem IMO. A lot of biofuels can be made from Hydrogen processes in a theoretically renewable way. While inefficient to make, it does solve the weight AND volume requirements to be pragmatic in flights.

4. Fossil Fuels -- Well, lets be frank, this is cheap and the best solution for now.