The SAF used in the tests was produced by World Energy, a low-carbon fuel specialist, in Paramount, California, using a variety of sustainable sources, including municipal solid waste; cellulose waste from the forestry industry; used cooking oil; energy crops, including camelina, jatropha, halophytes, and algae; and non-biological fuels such as steel mill waste gases.

According to the Californian company, its use does not require any modification in the fuel systems of the aircraft or engines, the distribution infrastructure and the storage facilities. This unblended fuel could reduce net life cycle CO2 emissions by more than 75% compared to conventional jet fuel, with the potential for further reductions in the future.

“Sustainable aviation fuels have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from our engines, and combining this potential with the extraordinary performance of our Pearl family of engines brings us another important step forward in enabling our customers to achieve carbon emissions. Net zero, “said Dr. Joerg Au, Chief Engineer – Director of Engineering and Commercial Aviation Rolls-Royce Deutschland.

The highly efficient Pearl 700 is currently in development and is intended to power the Gulfstream G700, five prototypes of which are currently in flight test campaign. The Pearl 700 combines the Advance2 engine core with a new low-pressure system, allowing an 8% increase in takeoff thrust and 5% more efficiency compared to the BR725 engine.