Up, up and away: aviation biofuels players start building capacity
(J. Lane, 1/10/13,
Biofuelsdigest) Great Scott! Look up in the Sky! There hasn’t been a hotter sector in biofuels demand than aviation. Now, flight tests and fuel development has given way to real capacity building. Who’s in the lead to win in this $180 billion sector? Faster than a speeding bullet…more powerful than a locomotive… that’s the growth and momentum in aviation biofuels. First there were the partnerships, then the fuel R&D, then the flight tests, then the offtake agreements. And there was the hope- especially at airlines- that strategic investors and lenders would jump into the financing of the first commercial fuel projects. That was, as the saying goes, then. Now – it’s all about organizing sustainable, affordable feedstock and building capacity. And, airlines providing capital for the first commercial projects — to ensure that capacity building reaches levels in line with the industry’s self-imposed targets: to stabilize carbon emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth; and to a net reduction in carbon emissions of 50% by 2050 compared to 2005. What does carbon-neutral growth mean, exactly, in terms of biofuels capacity building? The airlines aim for an average of 4 percent annual passenger growth (and hope to do better), and will offset 1.5 percent of that growth through more fuel-efficient planes...
Engineered algae seen as fuel source
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UPI, 1/8/13) Engineered bacteria could make fuel from sunlight as a step toward replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry, U.S. researchers say. Chemists at the University of California, Davis, say they have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics. "Most chemical feed stocks come from petroleum and natural gas, and we need other sources," chemistry Professor Shota Atsumi said in UC Davis release Monday. Photosynthesis forms carbon-carbon bonds using carbon dioxide as a raw material for reactions powered by sunlight, and cyanobacteria, also known as "blue-green algae," have been doing it for more than 3 billion years, the researchers said. Using cyanobacteria to grow chemicals does not compete with food needs, in the way that corn is needed for the creation of ethanol, they said...
Obama Administration Extends "Farm To Fly" Biofuels Program.
The Hill (4/16, Colman) reports in its "E2 Wire" blog that on Monday the Federal government extended a program designed to develop biofuels for commercial aircraft by another five year. The Hill notes that "Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the agreement at a conference outside Washington, D.C." According to the Hill, "Known as 'Farm to Fly,' the effort also involves private airline firms - who cite making the fuel supply chain more efficient as a key benefit - and the Federal Aviation Administration." Meanwhile, LaHood said in a statement, "In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on us to work together to reduce carbon emissions - developing these alternative jet fuels will do just that, while creating jobs and helping airlines save money on fuel."