# Renewable diesel and SAF: Emissions

Waste fat versus palm: a fourfold difference in footprint

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/emissions/

What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies. Emission intensity 1.40 t CO2e per t range about 0.6-0.7 (UCO, 14-16 g/MJ) to 3.2 (palm oil from open-pond mills, 73 g/MJ) excluding ILUC; California average renewable diesel 37 g/MJ (about 1.6 t/t) · indicative world average of about 32 g CO2e/MJ for a waste-heavy feedstock mix; fossil diesel comparator 94 g/MJ (about 4.1 t per t of HVO energy-equivalent), jet baseline 89 g/MJ under CORSIA (indicative) Global emissions per year 25.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 1.4 t/t x about 17.5 Mt (indicative); displaces about 48 Mt CO2e of fossil diesel and jet (derived: (94-32) g/MJ x 0.77 EJ)

Per t of HVO or SAF, life cycle (per MJ x 44 GJ/t); combustion CO2 is biogenic. Intensity: RED II Annex V default values (Directive (EU) 2018/2001); CARB LCFS 2022 averages (CARB board presentation Sep 2023); ICAO CORSIA default values (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Feedstock 60% Production / process 30% Movement 8% Use 2%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | about 0.8 t CO2e/t (rendering and UCO collection low; crop oils higher) | 60% | farming emissions for soy and canola, rendering energy, collection | CORSIA adds ILUC of about 24.5 g/MJ for soybean HEFA (indicative) | indicative |
| **Production / process** | about 0.4 t CO2e/t | 30% | grey hydrogen (about 0.035-0.04 t H2 x 9-11 t CO2 per t H2), heat and power | green or blue hydrogen and capture of process CO2 cut this | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.1 t CO2e/t | 8% | long-haul shipping of fats and fuel |  | indicative |
| **Use** | about 0.03 t CO2e/t non-CO2 gases | 2% | combustion | non-CO2 contrail effects of aviation are not counted; SAF has fewer soot particles | indicative |
| **End of life** | not applicable | – | fuel is burned | not applicable | not applicable |

#### Other environmental impacts

Waste fat demand can pull virgin oils into fuel and encourages UCO fraud; palm-based residues raise deforestation concerns. Large hydrogen demand where it is made from gas.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Green or blue hydrogen for hydrotreating
- Wider waste feedstocks: tall oil, POME oil, cover-crop oils (camelina, carinata)
- CCS on hydrogen and process CO2
- Non-lipid SAF routes (ATJ, FT, e-SAF) to break the fat ceiling

#### India

India's SAF footprint will depend on UCO and ATJ from ethanol; Indian Oil's co-processed SAF is certified internationally (Dec 2025). No national CI values are published.
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

#### Low-carbon routes

| Route | Intensity | Cost premium | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **UCO-based HEFA SAF** | about 14 g CO2e/MJ (CORSIA default, indicative) | about 2x fossil jet (IATA) | Neste, World Energy, Indian Oil Panipat (30 kt) | IATA press release No. 57, 9 Dec 2025; indicative |
| **e-SAF (power-to-liquid)** | near zero with renewable power and biogenic or captured CO2 (indicative) | up to 12x fossil jet (IATA) | about 0.02 Mt capacity operating or under construction (IATA, Jun 2026) | IATA Jun 2026; IATA press release No. 57, 9 Dec 2025 |

 For a climate investor The India opportunity is SAF for the 2027-2030 mandate and for export: UCO-based HEFA and ethanol-to-jet, where India has surplus distillery capacity. What has to be true: offtake from OMCs and airlines at a premium, CORSIA or ReFuelEU certification and traceable feedstock. Builders include Indian Oil (Panipat) and technology licensors such as Praj and LanzaJet (indicative). Globally, the scarce asset is waste fat and low-carbon hydrogen.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/index.md)
- [Energy overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/energy/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/resources/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/biosphere/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/overview/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/hvo_saf/links/index.md)