Assessing the sustainability of biofuel production from camelina in Spain, results of the ITAKA project - analysis of GHG emissions

Purpose With the rapid growth and increased consumption of biofuels worldwide, and the multitude of policy decisions supporting this expansion, growing concerns about the biofuels sustainability have arisen. Therefore, the European project ITAKA, aiming at supporting the development of aviation biofuels in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner, has devoted considerable effort to take sustainability into account, in a quantitative and qualitative manner. This paper aims to calculate a robust assessment of a life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) for the entire ITAKA value chain. Design/methodology/approach The calculation for the produced bio jet fuel has been set up using the roundtable on sustainable biomaterials (RSB) European Union (EU) renewable energy directive (RED) methodology, through the online RSB tool. This pathway includes feedstock production, feedstock processing, biofuel production, biofuel distillation and all transport steps involved. Findings A significant reduction in GHG emissions has been demonstrated, up to 66 per cent emission reduction if one considers a mature pathway for the entire ITAKA biofuel chain. Practical implications The camelina oil produced can be sustainable according to RSB and RSB EU RED schemes if the practices defined in the project are applied. Originality/value Application of different frameworks (actual vs theoretical) to the ITAKA value chain has aimed at testing and demonstrating the commercial application of the sustainability standards in Europe and the readiness of biofuels in Europe as a major means to decrease GHG emissions in aviation.