Fiji Airways has joined up with The Fiji Sugar Corporation Limited, Lee Enterprises Consulting, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in a plan to study the potential of developing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Fiji. The partnership plans to transform sugarcane by-products — such as molasses, bagasse and biomass — into SAF using locally available agriculture resources that simultaneously contribute to sustainability initiatives while benefiting the economy.
The initiative will also quantify the environmental benefits of SAF, which can cut down on carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent while improving energy yield ratios. The effort could serve as a model for other areas looking to produce sustainable aviation fuel from crop resources.
The adaptable initiative will mark a crucial step down the path of reducing the aviation industry’s dependence upon traditional fossil fuels and will also help to rejuvenate Fiji’s sugar industry. Sugarcane feedstocks are other useful substrates for SAF production due to various benefits. These are the crop’s carbon-absorbing qualities, where growing it sucks up tonnes of the greenhouse gas during growth — leading to SAF net emitting less greenhouse gases when used in aviation. In addition to this, sugarcane is one of the most productive crops having higher biomass yield per hectare which makes it a choice with regards to biofuel ease.
The fibrous residue remaining following the extraction of sugarcane juice which can be burned used as a bioenergy fuel source to produce steam and power for our sugar production process. This would be a good step forward in terms of helping Fiji Airways reduce its carbon emissions and play a role in stimulating the Fijian economy through job creation.
As Jason White, CEO of Lee Enterprises Consulting, stated: “When you are trying to solve global problems such as climate change, etc., solutions often involve broad collaborations and partnerships. “Through the collaboration of industry leaders and local stakeholders, we are helping further the production of sustainable aviation fuel while championing economic prosperity and environmental stewardship in the Pacific,” he said.
