EU Aviation Fuel Rules Raise Concerns in Sustainability

A new study has raised questions about Sustainability rules for airline fuel in Europe. The study says that European Union rules may make clean aviation fuel more costly and less efficient than needed.

The research comes from scientists at Chalmers University of Technology. It looks at EU plans under the ReFuelEU Aviation program. This program wants airlines to use more clean fuel in the future.

The EU has set a rule that aircraft fuel must include at least 2% clean fuel today. This amount will grow over time. By 2050, it may reach 70%.

Half of this fuel must come from special clean sources called renewable fuel of non biological origin.

The study says the current rules may favor some fuel methods over better ones. It says this could block new and more efficient technology.

Researchers compared different ways to make clean fuel from plant waste. One method called biomass gasification was found to be better. It uses less energy and costs less money.

The study says this method can reduce costs by up to 46%. It also uses about 30% less electricity than other methods.

But current EU rules do not always support this method. Experts say this could lead companies to use older and less efficient systems instead.

One researcher said the rules may stop the industry from using the best available technology. They warned this could make clean fuel more expensive for airlines and passengers.

The study also says that poor rules may slow down progress in clean energy for aviation.

Researchers believe better policies could help the world move faster toward cleaner air travel.

The EU has not yet responded to the study.