With abundant agricultural residue and new investment, Pakistan’s sustainable aviation fuel sector offers a promising pathway to reduce emissions and create thousands of jobs.
As the morning sun rises over Punjab’s golden fields, farmers continue a generations-old practice: burning vast swathes of crop stubble to prepare for the next planting season. The flames, while clearing fields efficiently, send plumes of smoke into the sky, adding to Pakistan’s challenges around its air quality. But what if these agricultural leftovers – “waste” products – could instead power the jets crossing the country’s skies?
Pakistan’s sustainable aviation fuel production from crop waste isn’t just an environmental daydream. According to economic and energy experts, alongside ecological activists, it represents a tangible pathway for Pakistan to transform its vast agricultural abundance into a position of leadership in the rapidly expanding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market.
The untapped potential of agricultural waste
Every year, millions of tonnes of crop residue are burned in Pakistan’s agricultural regions, particularly in Punjab. The practice, primarily employed to clear fields for the next planting season, creates significant air pollution and wastes valuable biomass resources.
According to experts quoted byThe Express Tribune, these residues – including rice husks, wheat straw, and bagasse – represent an underutilised resource with “immense potential for SAF production.”
A four-pronged solution
The development of Pakistan’s sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure offers a unique approach to address four important national challenges simultaneously:
- Enhanced energy security: By producing aviation fuel domestically from agricultural waste, Pakistan could reduce its dependence on imported petroleum products.
- Large-scale economic activity: Commercial SAF facilities can generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Dr Adeel Ghayur, an “eminent energy scientist and expert in circular economy,” explained that larger refineries “require multi billion-dollar investments but have the potential to generate thousands of […] jobs, boosting economic activity in their regions.”
- Foreign direct investment: The growing global demand for SAF presents significant investment opportunities. According to Pakistan Today’s December 2024 report, the recent $121 million financing deal for Pakistan’s first SAF facility in Sheikhupura – supported by the Asian Development Bank ($86.2 million) and the International Finance Corporation ($35 million) – demonstrates viability.
- Environmental benefits: Converting crop waste to SAF addresses two environmental problems simultaneously: reducing air pollution from crop burning and decreasing aviation carbon emissions. The aviation industry and the scientific community consider that SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94% compared to conventional jet fuel.
The technology behind SAF
Pakistan’s sustainable aviation fuel production relies primarily on two key technologies:
- Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA): Used for lipid-based feedstocks like used cooking oil, animal fats, and non-edible vegetable oils.
- Alcohol-to-jet (ATJ): Best suited for sugar-based feedstocks like wheat straw, rice husks, and bagasse waste.
The technologies produce “drop-in” fuels that are fully-compatible with existing jet engines and aviation infrastructure. A third emerging technology that utilises carbon dioxide as feedstock shows promise but is not yet commercially available.
Economic viability and market potential for Pakistan’s sustainable aviation fuel sector
While SAF currently commands a premium price – approximately $2,500 per metric tonne compared to $700 for conventional aviation fuel – regulatory frameworks globally are increasingly mandating its use.
Dr Ghayur told the Express Tribune that commercial SAF technologies offer production capacities ranging from 100,000 tonnes to one million tonnes annually.
The SAFCO Venture Holdings Limited facility in Sheikhupura is expected to produce 200,000 tons of SAF annually, according to Pakistan Today, and demonstrates the scalability of such projects.
The facility is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 500,000 tonnes each year and create approximately 300 direct jobs and an estimated 20,000 indirect jobs in the waste-to-fuel value chain, as detailed in the same report.
The path forward: A strategic approach
For Pakistan to capitalise fully on its sustainable aviation fuel potential, experts recommend a comprehensive strategy focused on:
- Attract foreign investment: Building on the success of projects like the Sheikhupura facility to bring in additional capital and expertise.
- Knowledge and infrastructure development: Equipping local industries with the necessary capabilities to participate in SAF production and distribution.
- Indigenous R&D capabilities: In his interview with The Express Tribune, Dr. Ghayur emphasised that “strengthening R&D is essential for Pakistan to remain competitive in the global SAF market, secure its position as a hub for innovation, and maintain leadership as SAF adoption rises across Asia.”
As global aviation fuel demand exceeds 250 million metric tonnes annually and mandates for SAF usage increase in the European Union, United Kingdom, and United States, Pakistan faces a limited window to establish itself in this growing market.
The successful development of Pakistan’s first SAF facility, described as “the first private sector-led SAF project in Asia and the Pacific” by the ADB, marks a significant first step.The facility will not only produce SAF but also 18,000 tons of bio naphtha annually, a raw material for sustainable plastic production.
Pakistan has rare opportunity to transform an environmental problem – crop waste burning – into a solution that addresses multiple national challenges.
With appropriate investment, policy support, and strategic planning, Pakistan can use its agricultural abundance to become a significant player in the global green aviation transition and create domestic economic growth and better environmental conditions.
As Dr. Ghayur concludes, “The comprehensive policy roadmap will serve as both a blueprint and a catalyst to propel Pakistan to the forefront of the global SAF revolution.”
(Photo: Linkan Yadav/Unsplash)
