A life cycle assessment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from second-crop canola in Brazil suggests greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by as much as 55% compared with fossil-based Jet A-1, depending on the adoption scenario. The study examines every stage of production, from feedstock cultivation to fuel use in aircraft, using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to measure environmental impacts across the full supply chain.
Priscila Sabaini, an analyst at Embrapa Environment, said the assessment found that emissions cuts could reach 55% in an optimistic, hypothetical scenario. She noted, however, that this figure reflects the upper limit of what might be achieved under ideal conditions that are not yet feasible in practice. Technical and regulatory barriers still limit the replacement of conventional fossil fuels.
One key constraint is that HEFA-type SAF, which is produced from oils and fats, can currently be blended with conventional aviation kerosene only up to about 50%. As a result, even broad adoption would not allow a complete replacement of jet fuel with sustainable alternatives at this stage.
Sabaini emphasized that these percentages should be seen as estimates of mitigation potential rather than immediate or guaranteed outcomes. Actual progress will depend on advances in technology, growth in SAF production, and changes to regulations governing the aviation sector.
The study was carried out through a collaboration between the Energy and Environment Laboratory (LEA), part of the Graduate Program in Mechanical Sciences at the University of Brasília, Embrapa Agroenergia (DF), and Embrapa Meio Ambiente (SP), and adds to the international discussion on aviation decarbonization.
The analysis covered emissions across the entire chain, from canola cultivation to fuel combustion in the aircraft. It drew on real-world data from Brazilian producers, reflecting tropical growing conditions in a second-crop system.
The study also modeled the HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) pathway, a process that converts vegetable oils into aviation fuel through hydrotreatment. The production of one megajoule (MJ) of biokerosene was assessed under three scenarios: conventional fossil Jet A-1, a 50/50 blend of SAF and Jet A-1, and 100% SAF.
The assessment is aligned with international frameworks such as CORSIA, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s program for reducing and offsetting CO2 emissions from international aviation. It also connects with Brazilian decarbonization policies, including the National Biofuels Policy (RenovaBio) and the Fuel of the Future Law.
“The airline sector needs technically viable alternatives to meet global climate goals, and SAF is today the main short- and medium-term strategy. Our differential was to analyze the canola grown as a second crop in Brazil, in rotation with soybeans, under tropical conditions still little represented in the international literature,” says Giulia Lamas, collaborator of Embrapa Meio Ambiente and doctoral student at the University of Brasilia.
Agriculture Remains the Main Source of Emissions
The results show that the agricultural stage is responsible for the largest share of emissions in the canola-based SAF life cycle. It contributes about 34.2 g CO2e/MJ, driven mainly by fertilizer production and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the soil. The industrial conversion stage through the HEFA pathway adds roughly 12.8 g CO2e/MJ when fossil-based hydrogen is used.
“The production and use of fertilizers, especially nitrogenous, represent the main critical point of the system, both for the associated emissions and for the impacts on water and ecosystems,” warns Alexandre Cardoso, researcher at Embrapa Agroenergia. The researcher highlights that bioinputs are an excellent option to reduce emissions in canola production.
The impacts associated with the use of fertilizers were classified into categories such as eutrophication (excess of nutrients in aquatic environments that can cause algae proliferation and reduction of oxygen in water) and human toxicity, indicating that efficient input management is decisive for the environmental performance of the fuel, according to a press release.
“The analysis shows that the sustainability of SAF depends both on industrial advances and improvements in agronomic practices,” adds UnB professor Edgar Amaral Silveira, advisor and co-author of the study.
