The government will launch technology development to use coffee grounds and even animal fats as feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on the 26th that on the 27th it will begin a research and development project to produce biofuels, including SAF, by utilizing organic waste resources such as coffee grounds, rice bran, and animal fats. SAF refers to aviation fuel produced from eco-friendly feedstocks such as used cooking oil and municipal solid waste instead of fossil fuels. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel, but it costs more than twice as much.

The ministry said, “To proactively respond to the recently strengthened obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the international aviation sector, and to support Korea, the No. 1 exporter of aviation fuel worldwide, so that its competitiveness carries over to the SAF field.”

The United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization has been piloting the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) since 2021, and from 2027 it will expand the scheme into a mandatory compliance phase. It freezes carbon emissions from international flights at 2019 levels and requires the purchase of credits to offset any excess.

To reduce carbon emissions in international aviation, countries are adopting SAF blending mandates. The European Union and the United Kingdom have mandated a 2% SAF blend, and Japan is targeting 10% by 2030. Last year, the Korean government announced a roadmap to require a 1% SAF share in jet fuel from 2027. The blending mandate will be expanded to 3~5% by 2030 and 7~10% by 2035.

Demand for SAF is also expected to surge. The ministry said, “There are concerns that the domestic SAF production industry, which relies on used cooking oil, will face a long-term shortage of feedstocks,” and added, “We will develop core technologies to identify new organic waste resources and produce high-quality SAF.”

The ministry plans to invest 48.7 billion won (37.5 billion won in state funds and 11.2 billion won from the private sector) by 2030.