바이오 연료를 항공유로 사용

밑에 두개의 영어 원문 글을 실었다. 중요한 내용을 우선 정리하여 본다.

 

첫 글은 2009년 1월 19일자 기사로서 21개국의 국가들의 교통부 장관이나 관련 대표가 도쿄에서 열린 '지구 환경, 에너지 및 교통에 관한 장관회의(Ministerial Conference on Global Environment and Energy )에서 국제민간항공기구(International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO]) 가 올해 말 전까지 국제항공에서 발생하는 온실가스 배출에 관한 문제를 시급히 다루도록 촉구하였다는 것이다.

 

그 구체적인 내용을 보면 온실가스 배출을 줄이기 위해, 비행항로를 가능하면 줄이고 연비를 늘리기 위한 여러 대책을 세우고, 대체연료 사용을 통한 온실가스 감축 및 온실가스 배출량의 보고 등의 포괄적인 대책을 국제민간항공기구가 올해 말까지 마련하도록 지원하기로 한 것이다.

 

특히 질소산화물 및 환경에 악영향을 주는 여러 요소를 줄이기 위한 국제민간항공기구의 노력을 각국 교통장관이 지원하기로 한 것이다.

 

그런데 문제는 각국이 항공산업에 대해 온실가스를 줄이기 위한 보조를 해주기 보다는 각종 세금을 통한 세원으로 생각한다는 것이다.

 

그럼에도 국제민간항공기구는 과거에는 항공으로 인해 발생하는 탄소사용량을 조사하는데 노력하였고, 올해는 다른 대체에너지(바이오연료)의 사용에 관한 컨퍼런스를 열 계획을 밝히면서 그 쪽으로 올해 노력이 기울어질 것이라고 언급하였다.

 

국제에너지 기구(International Energy Agency )에 의하면 2006년 통계로 전세계 이산화탄소 배출량이 28 billion tons (gigatons, or Gt)이었고, 그 중에 교통분야가 전체 발생량의 23%, or 6.45Gt를 차지하고 다시 국제항공이 교통분야의  6.2%를 기여한다고 한다.

 

 

Transport ministers call for urgent ICAO action on international aviation emissions in lead-up to Copenhagen

Mon 19 Jan 2009 – Transport ministers and representatives from 21 developed and developing countries have called for “expeditious discussions” to take place within the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) before the end of the year to address emissions from international aviation. Convening at the Ministerial Conference on Global Environment and Energy in Transport held in Tokyo late last week, ministers adopted a declaration that emphasized future actions in the transport sector to tackle climate change and air pollution.   “Transport is an important foundation of our society, supporting a wide range of human activities, and contributing to economic and social development,” says the document. “It is, at the same time, responsible for considerable emissions of carbon dioxide, which impacts global climate, and air pollutants, which impact public health and the environment of many urban areas. We recognize that urgent actions are required to address these issues while ensuring sustainable development.”   With respect to international aviation, transport ministers agreed to: ·         Support ICAO to develop preferably by the end of 2009 an implementation framework that involves a comprehensive approach, consisting of work on technology and standards, and on appropriate operational and market-based measures to reduce GHG emissions from international aviation, as was resolved at the 36thSession of the Assembly of ICAO; ·         Support the efforts by ICAO to identify possible global aspirational goals, including in the form of fuel efficiency, for GHG emission reduction; encourage manufacturers to produce aircraft with further improved fuel efficiency; and call on ICAO to consider effective measures to facilitate the introduction of more fuel efficient aircraft; ·         Promote the introduction by ICAO Contracting States of improved navigation systems to shorten flight routes, and of air traffic management that enables more efficient air traffic flows and air space management; ·         Encourage research, development and deployment (RD&D) by ICAO Contracting States of improved environmental aircraft technology and sustainable alternative fuels to reduce aviation emissions; and welcome ICAO’s initiatives to promote discussion of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation on a global scale; ·         Support the efforts of reporting, estimation and prediction by ICAO on GHG emissions from international aviation as well as its evaluation of the technological feasibility, environmental benefits, economic reasonableness, and environmental trade-offs of policies and measures; and ·         Encourage ICAO Contracting States to collect information on progress of their industries with regard to fuel efficiency improvement and provide it to ICAO so it can communicate the performance of the international aviation sector.   To limit or reduce air pollutant emissions from international aviation, the ministers: ·         Welcomed ICAO’s consideration of the feasibility and potential benefit of more stringent standards, in particular for NOx emissions from aircraft engines; and ·         Encouraged ICAO to continue the development of emissions certification standards for other emissions which contribute to aviation’s negative environmental impact.   Ministers said hard-thinking was required about the extent to which transport could be included in an emissions trading system established as part of an agreement at the UNFCCC Copenhagen meeting in December. Linking the transport sector to an existing emissions trading scheme would allow for cost-effective reductions of GHG emissions across sectoral borders, they suggested.   They warned that under a ‘business as usual’ scenario, the transport sector will remain a prime tax target for finance ministries, instead of a beneficiary of incentives. “Does transport really want to end up as the cash cow of a Copenhagen agreement?” asks the declaration.   ICAO chief Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, in a keynote address to delegates at the conference, said: “ICAO is concerned over the proliferation of charges and taxes on air traffic, with aviation being too often used as an easy target to raise revenue in various fields. It is important to remember that whenever levies are applied to address the protection of the environment, the principles of non-discrimination, transparency and cost-relatedness enshrined in the UNFCCC and the ICAO policies on charges and taxes should be taken into consideration , as well as the impact on all parties concerned, in particular the developing countries.”   Kobeh Gonzalez welcomed the involvement of a UNFCCC representative at the second meeting of the ICAO Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) last year. “His participation underscored the fact that both our organizations are generally moving in the same direction, debating similar issues and likewise setting their sights on similar outcomes.”   He outlined various ICAO initiatives undertaken over the past year, including the launch of its carbon calculator and the holding of a carbon markets workshop last June. The results, he said, of next month’s workshop on alternative aviation fuels would form the basis of a world conference on the subject planned for the end of this year, “with the objective to produce a roadmap for the implementation of alternative fuels for aviation”.   Under the leadership of ICAO, he said, the aviation community “is totally committed to continue its progress employing the full range of technological, operational and market-based options. These include newer, more efficient aircraft, improved air traffic management, better maintenance practices, more efficient airports, alternative fuels and possibly other emerging and innovative solutions such as emissions trading and carbon offsets. As important, they must be developed on a global scale and in a manner that does not discriminate and that takes into account the specific realities of States and regions.”   He reminded delegates that ICAO, like all United Nations agencies, was an agent of its Contracting States. “We can only move as far and as fast as the collective political will of its Contracting States. Therefore, the value and importance of this Ministerial Conference is that it can embolden the political will of States to move forward with concrete plans.”   Kobeh Gonzalez concluded: “The world aviation community is entirely committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and ICAO stands ready to continue providing the leadership that is essential to transform this commitment into a global reality. Our challenge is great, yet our will to succeed is greater, for it reflects the collective will of all parties.”   According to International Energy Agency (IEA) figures presented at the conference, total world CO2 emissions in 2006 amounted to 28 billion tons (gigatons, or Gt) in 2006, with transport responsible for 23%, or 6.45Gt. In turn, international aviation was responsible for 6.2% of the transport sector’s emissions.   By 2030, worldwide transport emissions are predicted by the IEA to rise from 6.45Gt to 8.9Gt. While the growth in emissions from the developed countries will remain flat, emissions from the developing countries are forecast to double.       밑의 글 내용을 요약해 본다  항공사들과 항공기 제작사들은 2012/13까지 항공기에 사용하는 바이오연료를 인증화하는 작업을 하겠다고 한다. 보잉사의 대변인은 일반적인 바이오 연료가 항공유로 3-5년후면 사용될 수 있을 것으로 보이고 녹조류를 이용한 항공유 개발은 8-10년 정도 예상한다고 한다.   보잉사의 환경전략담당 이사인 빌리 글로버는 원유는 5%만이 항공유로 전환될 수 있으나 식물기름은 40%까지 전환되어 사용될 수 있다. 아시아태평양 항공사 협회 총장은 예전에는 바이오 연료를 항공유로 사용하는데 20년 정도 걸릴 것으로 보았으나 지금은 2-3년후면 가능하다고 예상한다.   바이오연료가 50%를 일반 항공유와 섞어 성공적으로 시험되었으나 지금 업계의 방침은 30%를 섞는 것이다.  국제 에너지 기구는 장래에 항공유의 공급이 1억4천만톤정도까지 모자랄 수 있다고 본다. 결국 2012년부터는 인증이 끝나고 일반 항공에 바이오연료가 사용되기 시작할 것이고 특히 뉴질랜드항공은 2013년까지 10%의 연료를 바이오연료로 충당할 것이라고 예상한다.     Biofuels Digest Special Report on Aviation Biofuels: Commercialization outlook The consistent message from airlines and aircraft manufacturers is that the certification of biofuels for regular commercial flights is in the 2012/13 timeline. Boeing spokesman Terrance Scott said that biofuels could be a regular source for jet fuel with 3-5 years, with algae becoming a common component in 8-10 years. Billy Glover, director of environmental strategy for Boeing, told the International Herald Tribune that “Only about 5 percent of a barrel of oil is a candidate for commercial aviation fuel. Up to 40 percent of a barrel of plant oil can be converted into aviation jet fuel. So the chemistry is closer to what we need.” The  director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, said that, “We have to be realistic about timescales, but two or three years ago it looked 20 years away. Now, I think we are two or three years away.” Although biofuels have been successfully tested at 50 percent blends, industry guidance is pointing to a 30 percent blend. The consistent view is that drop-in fuels that do not require changes in infrastructure will be the norm. Meanwhile, aviation analysts are pointing to a shortfall of 140 million tons of fuel (40 billion gallons) between IEA forecasted aviation fuel production, and aviation fuel demand. UOP said that expects to license its fuel technology by mid-2009, and said that commercial aviation flights would be powered by biofuels by 2012. Air New Zealand said they expected their biofuel usage to reach 10 percent by 2013.     우리나라에서는 현재 민간항공기 제작은 미미하나, 대한항공과 아시아나항공이 공격적으로 운행을 확장하고 있다. 그런데 작년에 유가가 급작스럽게 상승하였을때 우리나라 민간항공사들도 타격을 많이 받았다.   그런데 3-4년안에 바이오연료를 혼합하여 사용하지 않을 경우 질소산화물 및 이산화탄소 배출에 대한 추가적인 탄소세 부담 등의 규제를 받을 가능성이 높아진다.   우리나라는 아직 항공유 목적으로 바이오연료를 개발하는 것에 뒤쳐지고 있다. 항공유 목적으로 바이오 연료를 개발할 때 바이오 에타놀은 부피당 에너지 밀도가 작아 제외되고 있다. 바이오디젤과 녹조에서 직접 휘발유 비슷한 성분을 추출하는 양자가 고려되고 있다. 다만 기술적으로 바이오디젤은 3-5년후 녹조에서 추출하는 것은 8-10년 후로 예상되고 있다.   우리나라도 항공유 목적의 바이오 디젤이나 녹조추출 항공유 연구에 시급히 나서 항공유로 쓰이는 바이오연료 부분이라도 자급할 수 있는 방향을 찾아야 할 것이다.