The aviation, international shipping, and long-haul trucking sectors will be challenging to decarbonize due to their reliance on energy-dense liquid fuels that are usually petroleum-based. Sustainable fuel alternatives could achieve lower net greenhouse gas emissions depending on their feedstocks and production pathways. However, they cannot currently be produced as inexpensively as petroleum-based fuels. 

Sustainable fuels include biofuels derived from crops, agricultural or forest residues, or waste oils, and electrofuels (e-fuels) formulated by combining hydrogen with captured CO₂ to produce synthetic versions of today’s liquid fuels. Each of the many potential feedstocks and pathways for producing sustainable fuels has different carbon intensity, cost, supply chain, and scalability. The lifecycle emissions of each sustainable fuel depend heavily on the feedstock and the energy source used in fuel production, especially for e-fuels. Making sustainable fuels a widely-adopted alternative to petroleum-based fuels will require addressing technical, scalability, and economic barriers through both innovation and supportive policies.

future of fuels study

A MITEI-led study on sustainable fuels was launched in winter 2026 and is analyzing and assessing promising feedstocks and pathways for production of sustainable fuels, including biofuels derived from biomass and e-fuels derived from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The two-year study will include a comparison between sustainable drop-in fuels and the major non-drop-in fuels, such as renewable methanol, ethanol, ammonia, and natural gas . A key aspect of the study will be analysis of the current domestic and international policies that shape the decarbonization of long-distance transportation, as well as policies that could enable a more efficient trajectory for this energy transition. 

Bill Green, MITEI director and Hoyt C. Hottel Professor of Chemical Engineering, is leading the study, and Randall Field, MITEI’s director of research, serves as executive director. MIT faculty research staff, and postdoctoral researchers round out the study’s team of engineers, scientists, and policy experts. An advisory board, consisting of one individual from each funding organization, as well as invited experts from academia, nongovernmental organizations, and government labs, provides the study team with feedback and guidance regarding the study’s mission. 

At the end of the study, the team will release a public report on results, findings, and recommendations, as well as present the major findings and recommendations from the study via a webcast.

Questions about the scope, technical approach, and study logistics may be addressed to Randall Field at rpfield@mit.edu. Questions about joining the study and the advisory board may be addressed to J.J. Laukaitis, MITEI director of member relations, at jjlaukai@mit.edu.