Green hydrogen is the bet for zero emissions in the aviation industry

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Green hydrogen is on the way to transforming one of the most challenging activities within decarbonization programs – the airline industry. While the world economy makes an effort to reduce the air pollution sources, the aviation sector has recorded an increase in greenhouse gases emissions in recent years – a 32% increase between 2013 and 2018, the period before the beginning of the pandemic.

The innovative ProQR (Promovendo Combustíveis Alternativos sem Impactos Climáticos – Promoting Alternative Fuels with no Climate Impacts) project bets on green hydrogen as an alternative for production of a type of kerosene for sustainable aviation. The project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI – Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative), with support from the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit) and implemented under the partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German agency for international cooperation.

“The idea of the project isn’t to perpetuate the traditional industry, but to have an option to decarbonize some modals, which are distant from electrical propulsion solutions in medium term, as it seems to be the case in aviation”, Marcos Costa, current coordinator of ProQR, explains.

The proposal is innovative, as it works with traditional industrial processes existing in refineries for the production of a type of sustainable fuel. It would be made from a synthesis gas, which is a combination of hydrogen and carbon. The mixture of CO₂ and H₂ would go through a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, where the combination in hydrocarbon chains and the generation of synthetic petroleum take place. “This oil is fractionated in a process equal to that which exists in refineries for the production of traditional fuel used in aviation”, Costa details. And to be ‘green’, the hydrogen necessary for the synthesis gas must be produced from a renewable energy source, and Brazil takes advantage of this, since it has several alternatives such as solar, wind, biomass, among others.

The decentralized production of aviation fuels, that is, close to the place of consumption, is a challenge for the project, developed within the scope of cooperation between Brazil and Germany. The production of this ‘green’ fuel should therefore take place at the airport, in the case of the airline sector. Several articulations have been made to bring partners together around the idea and make a pilot plant viable in Brazil. Among the partners of the ProQR network are universities, federal institutes and entities such as Serviço Nacional de Aprendizado Industrial (Senai – National Service for Industrial Learning), in addition to Rede Brasileira de Bioquerosene e Hidrocarbonetos Renováveis para Aviação (RBQAV – Brazilian Network of Biokerosene and Renewable Hydrocarbons for Aviation). Even before the first airlines announced their commitment to reducing their emissions by means of green hydrogen, the ProQR, created in 2017, had already planned to create a reference model that could be replicated and that could generate knowledge and information of international relevance.

This movement has gained strength in recent years and it requires investments. In June this year, European AirBus stated that green hydrogen should play a key role in the industry, but that the business environment still needs to be created to meet future demand in the sector. The company plans to rely on this clean source to fulfill its commitment to zero emissions by 2035. On another front, American startup ZeroAvia has been mobilizing private investors to develop an aircraft equipped with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell. The plan is to offer commercial flights by 2023 with 20 passengers and, in 2026, increase the capacity to 80 seats with longer routes.

Besides its great potential to produce green hydrogen, Brazil is a signatory of the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). “Brazil is a founding member of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and is committed to participating in CORSIA from 2027 on”, Costa comments. This program was designed in three stages, two voluntary and one mandatory, which will start in 2027, he adds.

This means that the investment in cleaner options, such as sustainable aviation kerosene produced from green hydrogen, is strategic, since this alternative fuel is one of the most promising options for offsetting flight emissions . The expectation is that Brazil, with its huge diversity, will have a prominent place in this new clean energy market.