Spain is pioneering the use of renewable fuel in order to protect the climate. An increasing number of Spanish airplanes are now using bio-kerosine in order to save on resources. Airplanes fueled by bio-fuel are more climate-friendly than regular airplanes, say scientists.
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00:00This aircraft runs entirely on biofuel, obtained from old frying oil.
00:06Scientists found out during emissions tests that it's a double win for the climate.
00:10But let's start from the beginning.
00:15A visit to the gas station in Madrid.
00:20Here, customers can hand in fat from deep-fat fryers in return for gas vouchers.
00:25What used to be a waste product is now a valuable raw material for the company.
00:31The used oil is collected and shipped to Cartagena,
00:37to a brand new refinery which produces more sustainable fuels.
00:47There are two reactors.
00:51They convert components from leftover cooking oil
00:55into the same components that we have in petroleum-based fuels.
01:01Chemically, the end product is exactly the same.
01:09Only a few months after opening, the plant is already operating at full capacity.
01:15Today alone, we produced 8 cubic meters every hour.
01:19That's 8,000 liters of sustainable kerosene an hour.
01:25Running out of frying oil is not a likely scenario for the time being.
01:30The manufacturers say there's huge potential in collection points like these.
01:36Everyone needs to recognize the importance of collecting household cooking oil.
01:40Today, only 5% of it is collected.
01:43But it can have a second life, as a renewable fuel.
01:52Just a few kilometers from the gas station, at Madrid airport,
01:56fuel from the new refinery is already in use.
01:59Tests show that kerosene derived from cooking oil works well in the engines.
02:05By 2030, Iberia wants to fuel 10% of its fleet with the new kerosene, an ambitious target.
02:13A study showed the huge potential for developing a sustainable fuel industry, especially in Spain.
02:18It's strategically important for us to make aviation cleaner,
02:22because, looking at our country, we're at the edge of Europe,
02:26and we have many islands that we need to connect to the mainland.
02:31The more sustainable kerosene, made from chip fat, for example,
02:35still costs a good three times as much.
02:38However, prices should fall with increased supply.
02:43A new refinery is being built in Andalusia, turning even more waste into fuel.
02:48It will be the largest of its kind in Europe.
02:51We process vegetable oils, as well as animal fats,
02:55and waste from the agricultural and food industries.
03:02Incidentally, the largest investor in this plant is from Abu Dhabi,
03:06better known, of course, for its oil business.
03:09It seems they, too, see a profitable future in Spain,
03:12and they're looking forward to it.
03:14Another driving force behind the development is the EU.
03:18It stipulates that aircraft must be fuelled with 2% sustainable aviation fuel,
03:236% by 2030,
03:25and by 2050, that figure should rise to 70%.
03:29It stipulates that aircraft must be fuelled with 2% sustainable aviation fuel,
03:346% by 2030,
03:36and by 2050, that figure should rise to 70%.
03:45In this lab south of Madrid, the fuel company Repsol
03:49is researching which raw materials other than crude oil could be used for aviation.
03:59If trees have to be cut down, for example,
04:02we can use all the material left on the ground
04:05and convert it into renewable fuels.
04:09Frying oil, though, is tried and tested,
04:12and waste oil from many a churro stand already makes its way to the recycling plant.
04:20The German Aerospace Centre has researched the environmental effect of the fuel.
04:29Using a research aircraft, the experts examined exhaust fumes from larger commercial aircraft.
04:36The first fuelled conventionally.
04:39The second fuelled entirely with the new alternative fuel,
04:42made from leftover cooking oil, for example.
04:50We were able to show that sustainable aviation fuels have led to lower soot particle emissions.
04:55This reduces ice crystals in condensation trails, and that reduces warming.
05:04Fewer contrails, less greenhouse effect.