Search

The aviation industry contributes to more than 2% of global human-induced CO2-emissions, and it is expected to increase to 3% by 2050 as demand for aviation grows. As the industry is still dependent on conventional jet fuel, an essential component for a carbon-neutral growth is low-carbon, sustainable aviation fuels, for example alternative drop-in fuels with biobased components. An optimization model was developed for the case of Sweden to examine the impacts of carbon price, blending mandates and penalty fee (for not reaching the blending mandate) on the production of renewable jet fuel (RJF). The model included biomass gasification-based Fischer–Tropsch (FT) jet fuel, Power-to-Liquid (PTL) jet fuel through the FT route and Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)-based jet fuel. Thus, this study aims at answering how combining different policies for the aviation sector can support the production of RJF in Sweden while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results demonstrate the importance of implementing policy instruments to promote the production of RJF in Sweden. The blending mandate is an effective policy to both promote RJF production while reducing emissions. The current level of the penalty fee is not sufficient to support the fuel switch to RJF. A higher blending mandate and carbon price will accelerate the transition towards renewable and sustainable fuels for the aviation industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper looks at changes in Sweden’s new car fleet between 2002 and 2010. Between 2002 and 2007 consumer amenities such as acceleration capacity and passenger space continued to increase while fuel consumption steadily decreased. During these years the main technological and market change was a shift toward diesel and flex-fuel ethanol vehicles. After 2007 the average weight and power of the vehicles were more or less constant, while fuel consumption decreased by 13% between 2007 and 2010. The developments after 2007 suggest that 77% of the technological development between 2002 and 2010 resulted in reductions in fuel consumption compares to previous years when 35% of any technology change resulted in a net reductions. The shift can partly be attributed to the increased share of diesels and an engine downsizing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Industries account for about 30% of total final energy consumption worldwide and about 20% of global CO2 emissions. While transitions towards renewable energy have occurred in many parts of the world in the energy sectors, the industrial sectors have been lagging behind. Decarbonising the energy-intensive industrial sectors is however important for mitigating emissions leading to climate change. This paper analyses various technological trajectories and key policies for decarbonising energy-intensive industries: steel, mining and minerals, cement, pulp and paper and refinery. Electrification, fuel switching to low carbon fuels together with technological breakthroughs such as fossil-free steel production and CCS are required to bring emissions from energy-intensive industry down to net-zero. A long-term credible carbon price, support for technological development in various parts of the innovation chain, policies for creating markets for low-carbon materials and the right condition for electrification and increased use of biofuels will be essential for a successful transition towards carbon neutrality. The study focuses on Sweden as a reference case, as it is one of the most advanced countries in the decarbonisation of industries. The paper concludes that it may be technically feasible to deep decarbonise energy-intensive industries by 2045, given financial and political support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweden has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2045. Around 20% of Sweden's annual CO2 emissions arise from manufacturing, transporting, and processing of construction materials for construction and refurbishment of buildings and infrastructure. In this study, material and energy flows for building and transport infrastructure construction is outlined, together with a roadmap detailing how the flows change depending on different technical and strategical choices. By matching short-term and long-term goals with specific technology solutions, these pathways make it possible to identify key decision points and potential synergies, competing goals, and lock-in effects. The results show that it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions associated with construction of buildings and transport infrastructure by 50% to 2030 applying already available measures, and reach close to zero emissions by 2045, while indicating that strategic choices with respect to process technologies and energy carriers may have different implications on energy use and CO2 emissions over time. The results also illustrate the importance of intensifying efforts to identify and manage both soft and hard barriers and the importance of simultaneously acting now by implementing available measures (e.g., material efficiency and material/fuel substitution measures), while actively planning for long-term measures (low-CO2 steel or cement). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biomethane can be used to decarbonize the Iron and steel industry (ISI). • Demand from other sectors has a low impact on the use of biomethane in the ISI. • Projected policy support is insufficient to reach the desired biomethane use. • With high CO2 emission costs, biomass scarcity limits production of biomethane. • Need for directed policy support to replace fossil fuels with biomethane. In Sweden, the iron and steel industry (ISI) is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Most of the emissions result from the use of fossil reducing agents. Nevertheless, the use of fossil fuels for other purposes must also be eliminated in order to reach the Swedish emissions reduction targets. In this study, we investigate the possibility to replace fossil gaseous and liquid fuels used for heating in the ISI, with liquefied biomethane (LBG) produced through gasification of forest residues. We hypothesize that such utilization of fuels in the Swedish ISI is insufficient to independently drive the development of large-scale LBG production, and that other sectors demanding LBG, e.g., for transportation, can be expected to influence the economic potential for the ISI to switch to LBG. The paper investigates how demand for LBG from other sectors can contribute to, or prevent, a phase-out of fossil fuels used for heating purposes in the ISI under different future energy market scenarios, with additional analysis of the impact of a CO 2 emissions charge. A geographically explicit cost-minimizing biofuel production localization model is combined with heat integration and energy market scenario analysis. The results show that from a set of possible future energy market scenarios, none yielded more than a 9% replacement of fossil fuels used for heating purposes in the ISI, and only when there was also a demand for LBG from other sectors. The scenarios corresponding to a more ambitious GHG mitigation policy did not achieve higher adoption of LBG, due to corresponding higher biomass prices. A CO 2 charge exceeding 200 EUR/ton CO2 would be required to achieve a full phase-out of fossil fuels used for heating purposes in the ISI. We conclude that with the current policy situation, substitution of fossil fuels by LBG will not be economically feasible for the Swedish ISI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]