Air Force Jet Flight Powered Entirely By Biofuel Blend.

The Wired (3/30, Paur) "Danger Room" blog reported that the US Air Force has flown one of its A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog jets powered entirely by a biofuel blend for the first time. This flight used "a combination of a fuel derived from camelina oil with conventional JP-8 jet fuel." The Pentagon has been searching for new energy alternatives to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and the Air Force's current energy plan is to acquire half of domestic aviation fuel from an alternative blend by 2016. "This summer, the Air Force plans to expand the biofuel testing to the F-15 as well," with later tests on the "the four-engined C-17 Globemaster as well as in the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's high-end stealth fighter."

P&W Signs Deal To Design GTF For MS-21.

[Note: Biofuel-compatible engine.]

Flight International (4/13, Kirby) reported Pratt & Whitney has signed a deal with Irkut to "begin preliminary design activities on the PW1000G geared turbofan that will power Russia's all-new MS-21 twinjet." The contract represents the "beginning of development of the third airframe application for the GTF engine, which has already been selected to power the Bombardier CSeries and Mitsubishi MRJ." P&W is already responsible for the design of the "higher-[thrust] GTF for the 150- to 210-seat MS-21 - the PW1400G, which is rated at between 25,000lb (111kN) and 32,000lb thrust." P&W stated the engine program "fully supports" the Irkut MS-21 development timeline, "which calls for a 2014 first flight and service entry in 2016."


US Airways President Acknowledges Airbus Re-Engining Discussions.

[Note: again, this is related to the biofuel topic as these are biofuel-compatible powerplants.]

Air Transport Intelligence (4/21, Ranson) reported US Airways "is holding discussions with Airbus to supply its input to the airframer for the potential re-engining of the Airbus A320," according to US Airways President Scott Kirby. Kirby admits "although the carrier is having technical discussions with Airbus about re-engining, the carrier is essentially 'agnostic' about how the airframers reach greater narrowbody efficiency." He further acknowledges the "two differing opinions" between the P&W geared turbofan and CFM Leap X "that could potentially power A320s and Boeing 737s." Kirby also "believes the Bombardier CSeries powered by the geared turbofan has supplied Boeing and Airbus incentive to move quickly to offer customers improved efficiency in narrowbody aircraft."

Navy Flies "Green Hornet" With Biofuel Blend.

The Wired (4/23, Paur) "Danger Room" blog reports, "It's starting to feel like hardly a week goes by without getting a press release regarding a jet flying on a new biofuel somewhere in the world. The Navy and Boeing did manage to time this latest move well by flying an unmodified F/A-18 Super Hornet on Earth Day with a 50/50 blend of camelina sourced biofuel and traditional JP-5 fuel powering the jet." This was the first flight of the "Green Hornet," which "flew as expected with no surprises, according to the pilot." Upcoming flights will test the blend for the first time at supersonic speeds. However, "To date there is no consensus on what kind of feedstocks will be the preferred fuel source for the Pentagon or where the feedstock for the fuel will come from."

Pratt & Whitney Promoting New Geared Turbofan Engine.

The Wall Street Journal (4/30, Sanders, subscription required) reports on Pratt & Whitney's desire to rebound in the commercial aerospace industry via a new engine that is has spend the past decade developing. The new engine, the Geared Turbofan, boasts improved fuel efficiency and lower noise than anything on the market. The company has an opportunity with Boeing and Airbus, as both are decided if they will re-engine their most popular aircraft with the Geared Turbofan. David Hass, P&W's president, said "This is not a paper engine. It's been through a tremendous amount of testing on the ground and in a flight-test program we ran in 2008. It demonstrated everything we've asserted in the marketplace." Nevertheless, the article notes a few hurdles still remain for P&W to secure a contract with either of the two major companies.

Airbus Open To Non-IAE Geared Turbofan

AviationWeek (5/10, Guy Norris) Airbus says it is now prepared to accept an A320 re-engining proposal from Pratt & Whitney based on the geared turbofan (GTF) amid increasing signs that Rolls-Royce will not be persuaded to buy in to the initiative under the existing International Aero Engines partnership. Until now, Airbus has pushed for any GTF proposal for its A320 neo (new engine option) to be sourced through IAE, mainly to help preserve commonality with the existing supply base behind the V2500 turbofan used on the A320. Airbus Programs VP Tom Williams says, “We’d prefer it to be an IAE solution and if, in the end, they cannot find a way of focusing together on a GTF solution, then we are willing to work only with Pratt.” Williams also adds that it is increasingly likely the engine selection will not be an either/or solution between the GTF and CFM International’s competing Leap-X, a new-technology successor to the CFM56. “In the end, it will be both engines, not one or the other.” The timing of which goes first “is up to the market to decide.” Should Rolls opt finally to decline a role in the GTF, “Pratt will find other partners” eager to step into the gap, says Williams. Although cautioning that the entire re-engining initiative “is not a done deal,” Williams adds, “I presonally believe it is the right thing to do.” “It’s not a fait accompli about whether we will re-engine or not,” says Airbus Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy, who confirms the timeline for the $1 billion-plus decision is stretching to the right. Engineering resources are taxed with improving the A380, as well as developing the A350 and A400M. “There is a lot on our plate. That’s the reason the decision won’t be taken for another few months, and maybe not until around the end of the year,” Leahy says.Reinforcing the point, Williams adds, “This is such a big and important decision that we’re not going to be hidebound by a particular air show,’ he says, referring to previous plans by Airbus to announce the A320 neo decision at the Farnborough Air Show. Reflecting on the choices arrayed before the company, Williams says the GTF, in particular, still has many questions to answer before it can be considered a safe bet. “Do we believe the performance claims and can that performance be delivered in a way that doesn’t sacrifice performance? On GTF, can we convince ourselves the technology for the gearbox is now mature? So can it work in all conditions -- for example, with contaminated oil? Can the gearbox live with that? So there’s lots of questions to answer and quite a bit of the business case to go through.”

Boeing Makes Biofuel Agreement With Chinese Companies.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer (5/27, Cohen) "Aerospace News" blog reported, "Boeing, PetroChina and Chinese energy and aviation industry representatives Thursday announced an agreement to evaluate establishing a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in China." This evaluation, to begin next month, "will look at all phases of biofuel development and supports a broader sustainable aviation biofuel agreement between China's National Energy Administration and the US Trade and Development Agency, Boeing said." The article noted "Air China, PetroChina, Boeing and Honeywell's UOP have agreed to conduct an inaugural flight in China using sustainable biofuel derived from biomass grown and processed in that country."

USAF States It Will "Easily Meet" Blended Fuel Goal In 2011.

Flight International (6/8, Decker) reports the USAF feels it is "confident it will easily meet a 2011 goal by certificating its entire turbine fleet to burn blended fuel, half of which will be converted from coal or natural gas." The article explains the USAF's increasing relationship with synthetic jet fuels over the past few years, and their growing reliance in the future. "Real progress means being able to make large-scale, cost-effective purchases of alternative fuels," says USAF undersecretary Erin Conaton. "We need help from industry leaders so that by our 2016 goal year, we can competitively acquire half of our domestic aviation fuel requirement via an alternative fuel blend."

EADS To Show Off Algae-Based Biofuel.

Flight Daily News (6/8, O'Keeffe) reported EADS plans to reveal an "environmental breakthrough" at Berlin's ILA show "by flying an aircraft powered by a biofuel composed purely of algae." The flights utilize a Diamond DA42 light twin powered by Austro Engine AE300s and "As a result of algae's higher energy content, fuel burn will be 1.5 litres per hour (0.4USgal/h) lower than if conventional Jet-A1 fuel were used," says EADS.

Boeing, EADS Make Biofuel News This Week.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer (6/17, Cohen) "Aerospace News" blog reported, "Boeing and EADS have both made biofuel news this week." A Royal Netherlands Air Force Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter became the first rotorcraft to use biofuels derived "from algae-based biomass and used cooking oil" that required no modifications to the helicopter. Meanwhile, "On Thursday, EADS and its Eurocopter subsidiary announced they would evaluate creation of production facility for algae-based aviation biofuel in Brazil with BioCombustibles del Chubut."

Pacific NW will examine using biofuels for jets

(Bloomberg, 07/14/10) Major airports in the Pacific Northwest are joining Boeing Co., Alaska Airlines and Washington State University to study how biomass sources might produce aviation fuel. The six-month study announced Monday will look at how a biofuels industry might be created in the Northwest and used to power jet fleets. Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International and Spokane International will take part. Boeing has said that by 2015, it and other aircraft makers and airlines want to use biofuels for 1 percent of annual fuel consumption - about 500 million to 600 million gallons. Among the possible fuel sources are algae, wood byproducts and farm crops. Proponents say biofuels could eliminate millions of tons of greenhouse gases.

Biofuels "Hot Topic" At Green Air Show.

The New York Times (7/19, Brett) website reported on the second Green Air Show that took place last month. "Alongside the makers of solar-powered planes, flying robots and airships...the 52 participants in the salon included the engine maker Snecma and European Aeronautic Defense & Space proof that the mainstream is getting involved." Paul Steele, Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group, noted some of the technology being developed, but "said his group is lobbying for quick implementation of the European 'Single Sky' coordinated control program and the US Next Generation air traffic management project" which would have more environmental benefits than any plane technology. However, the "hot topic" at the conference was biofuels. Steele said it is "probably the most exciting area that is developing quickly."

Alternate Fuel Providers Work Toward Neutral Growth Goal.

Flight Daily News (7/20, Reals) reported, "IATA's goal of carbon-neutral growth for the aviation industry in the medium term is achievable, according to representatives of the United Alternative Aviation Fuels Display...which is exhibiting at Farnborough for the first time to publicise the progress that biofuels have made towards meeting that target." Richard Altman, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Fuels Initiative, added, "We have a very important message. We're dealing with technologies that can contribute on a significant level to achieving carbon-neutral growth."

EADS Working On Algae Biofuel-Powered Planes.

The Wall Street Journal (7/22, Lagorce, subscription required) reports EADS is developing a four-seater propeller plan that will use biofuels made from algae. EADS' CTO Jean Botti said in an interview at Farnborough that, "We absolutely need to find a plan B for the replacement of kerosene." The Journal also notes a recent DOE report that indicates algae biofuels are years away from being commercially significant.

Bombardier, Porter Airlines Working On Biofuel-Based Turboprop.

Air Transport Intelligence (7/21, Ranson) added, "Bombardier and Porter Airlines are working to complete the first biofuel trial on a large turboprop once a Q400 operated by the carrier completes the test in early 2012." The two companies "are part of a consortium led by Targeted Growth Canada to demonstrate a camelina-based biofuel on the aircraft supplied by Sustainable Oils. Other partners include Q400 engine supplier Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell subsidiary UOP."

Utah company develops powdered biofuel


(E. Voegele, 8/18/10, Biomass) Compact Contractors of America LLC, a Utah-based company developing dry algae aviation fuels, recently announced it has sold samples of its powdered algae-based jet fuel to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. According to Robert Fulton, CCA’s chief technologist and founder, the laboratory will conduct testing and evaluation on the fuel for use as a solid propellant for aviation rocket use.

CCA’s technology involves drying biobased feedstock at a specific temperature over a specific period of time, said Fulton. “We use a spray dryer [which is] commercial technology that is currently available,” he continued. “I discovered…that under certain conditions you can actually draw the oils to the surface of the cells while you are removing the moisture from [the feedstock].” The resulting powdered fuel is very conducive to simultaneous combustion, Fulton said, meaning that the sugars, plant material, cellulose and proteins all tend to fire at once. “It does not caramelize and it does not gel, which makes it a good jet fuel,” he continued...

Jatropha Sent To ISS To Make It Better Source Of Biofuel.

Florida Today (8/24, Peterson) reports, "In a Gainesville laboratory, mutant plants created in space are being carefully watched because they could become a source of jet fuel." The plan, jatropha, "produces excellent jet fuel," but because of where it grows on Earth it is very difficult to cultivate. In order to make jathropha a better biofuel source, Vecenergy and the University of Florida "sent jatropha specimens, prepared at Kennedy Space Center, to the International Space Station on the STS-130 in Feburary and on STS-132 in May to be exposed to microgravity, which activates dormant genes." Currently, the first 72 samples are being examined to see if the trip will allow the plant to be "domesticated" and produce more oil. "If the plant mutations created in space produce a variety that can be grown commercially, investors likely would build a processing facility."


Joule Unlimited Co: ‘Fuel from thin air’ [phototrobes] comes closer.

(8/24, BioFuelDigest) In Massachusetts, the secretive Joule Unlimited (then known as Joule Biotechnologies) emerged late last year from “stealth mode” with the startling announcement that their technology could produce up to 15,000 gallons per acre (per year) of drop-in hydrocarbon fuels, using only sunlight, CO2 and (fresh, brackish or saline) water as inputs. The Solar Converter – including radical new micro-organism and a technology known as helioculture – is the heart of Joule’s IP. Did it the announcement change everything? No. Will it change the biofuels competitive landscape? It already has, and conceptually contains those Four Horsemen of a Market Apocalyse that VC so dearly love: disruptive, scalable, competitive, protected technology...

Biofuel ready for commercial-scale production.

(N. Odenaal, 9/10, Engineering News) "Process technology supplier Honeywell UOP is ready to move its green jet fuel into commercial-scale production within the next two or three years, and has started the certification and licensing processes. The green jet fuel was originally developed under contract from the US-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [DARPA] in 2007, to identify new sources for producing renewable military jet fuel for the US military. Green jet fuel currently costs more than petroleum-based fuel owing to its small-scale production and feedstocks, which are also not yet produced on a commercial scale. “As more biological feedstocks, such as camelina and algae, become available and, as we move into commercial-scale fuel production in the next few years, we expect that the costs will be comparable,” the company tells Engineering News. The fuel is made using process technology which converts natural oils, such as algae, the plant camelina and used cooking oil, which is then blended in a 50% mixture with traditional jet fuel for flight. In June, green jet fuel powered the first helicopter biofuel demonstration flight on a Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter, flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The flight, which made use of sustainable aviation biofuels on a helicopter for the first time, was undertaken at Gilze-Rijen airbase, the home of the Royal Netherlands combat helicopter fleet. The green jet fuel has also been demonstrated in fixed-wing flights with the US Air Force and Navy as part of a joint programme for alternative fuels testing and certification under the US Defence Energy Support Centre, the company says. “The company’s focus is to ensure that all stringent specifications for jet fuel are met, while producing a drop-in fuel that could be used without making any modifications to the aircraft or the fuel infrastructure, such as pumps, storage or pipelines,” says Honeywell UOP.

The company, with its partnerships with airlines and aircraft manufacturers, will continue testing the viability of biofuels for both military and commercial aviation through flight demonstrations, and will continue the research and development efforts around biomass to fuel technology. These demonstration flights have also shown that green jet fuel can offer improved energy efficiency, which means that aircraft can travel farther on less fuel. The fuel can also assist in dealing with the growing demand for fuels, the volatility of fuel prices and concerns around greenhouse-gas emissions. A 50:50 blend of green jet fuel and petroleum-based fuel is required as the biofuel does not contain the aromatics required; however, there is a way to produce aromatics from renewable sources (such as waste biomass), which would allow the company to produce a 100% aviation biofuel. “We have proven this technology in the lab and even ran a jet-engine-powered hydroplane boat using this fuel,” the company says. Meanwhile, Honeywell UOP’s Netherlands Department of Energy-funded integrated bio- refinery, currently being built in Kapolei, in Hawaii, aims to scale up this type of technology. The company expects to be producing green fuels and renewable aromatics from biomass at this facility in 2013. Although the technology is ready for licensing to a fuel producer, the focus is now on the certification of the green jet fuel, which is progressing and should be complete by the end of 2010."

Aviation Industry Looking At Future Biofuel Sources.

Aviation Week (9/17, Warwick) reported, "In just five years, the aviation industry's decades-long reliance on petroleum-based fuels has been turned on its head. The future lies in fuels from sources that range from animal fat to microalgae. But with the technology in hand, the question now is whether biofuel producers can raise the investment needed to launch commercial-scale production." Approval by ASTM International is described by the article as the "critical step" for their implementation. "While the near-term focus is on plant oils and animal fats as feedstocks, aviation is enamored of algae because it promises high-oil yields from small land areas and does not compete with food for land or water." There is now "growing excitement-and debate" about what new "pathways" for biofuels will be developed.

Airbus, BA Working With Cranfield University On Algae [Biofuel] Project.

(FlightGlobal-Air Transport Intelligence, 9/20, Reals) reported, "Several companies including Airbus and British Airways have teamed up with the UK's Cranfield University to push forward the use of algae as an alternative fuel for the aviation industry. The Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) consortium consists of Airbus, BA, Cranfield University, Rolls-Royce, Finnair, London's Gatwick Airport and IATA. Its aim is to study five areas relating to the possible future use of microalgae as an alternative to kerosene." The consortium "is based around a pilot project at Cranfield called Sea Green, under which algae is being grown and processed for potential use as a biofuel."

Sea Green Project Accelerates Algae for Aviation.

(DomesticFuel, J. Schroeder, 9/23/10) Renewable aviation fuel was a hot topic during the recent Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva. During the event, the Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) consortium was announced with the intention of accelerating algae for aviation fuel. SURF was developed to support Cranfield University’s Sea Green project that will harvest algae to produce jet fuel at commercial scale. SURF is comprised of Airbus, British Airways, Rolls-Royce, Finnair, Gatwick Airport, IATA, and Cranfield University. Cranfield currently has a pilot facility on campus that is growing and processing algae for biofuels. However, the long-term the goal is for Sea Green to be an ocean based facility and producing commercial scale levels of bio-jet fuel within three years. According to a press release, Sea Green’s ocean based facility, “will be designed to use the expanse of the world’s near-shore waters to rapidly grow microalgae at a faster rate than any other initiative and capture CO2 from the atmosphere and seas at the same time...”

Boeing, Air China Conducting Biofuel Test Next Year.

The Wall Street Journal (10/19, N. Shirouzu, subscription required) website reported Boeing is working with Air China on a biofuels test using a formula based on local jatropha plants. A commercial jet would fly with the fuel next year... Boeing first tested a biofuel on a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 jet in early 2008 in London. It has since conducted similar tests a few more times, each time experimenting with different types of biofuels on different engines.

US Biofuel Wins 75% Subsidy: Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) will pay farmers

(10/25, Renewable Energy World, Washington DC) A joint scheme between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to promote "green" aviation fuel, as well as the findings of a USDA report into biofuels, were also announced by Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack last night. "Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that's why USDA is working to assist in developing a biofuels industry in every corner of the nation" according to Tom Vilsack, Agricultural Secretary. In a dual approach, BCAP will provide up to 75% of producers' costs in establishing eligible crops in specific areas, while also offering longer-term support for up to five years for annual or non-woody perennial crops and for up to 15 years for woody perennial crops, he told the National Press Club in Washington. Matching payments will assist the transport of eligible materials to qualified biomass conversion facilities. The programme, which had operated as a pilot scheme, is now activated with the publication by Vilsack of a “final rule”. Authorised in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, BCAP is aimed at ensuring a large enough base of new, non-food, non-feed biomass crops is established in anticipation of future renewable energy demand. "Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that's why USDA is working to assist in developing a biofuels industry in every corner of the nation," he said. A five-year agreement between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will research the production of jet fuel from forest and crop residues and other "green" feedstocks, he added. The joint initiative aims to cut dependence on foreign oil and to stabilise fuel costs by assessing different feedstocks for bio-refineries. A wider research plan through USDA’s five Regional Biomass Research Centers is directed at accelerating development of a commercial advanced biofuels industry in the US – including as many rural areas as possible to spread the economic benefits. The USDA has also released an updated version of 'Effects of Increased Biofuels on the US Economy in 2022', a report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), which found that replacing more petroleum with cost-competitive biofuels would cut crude oil imports, reduce energy prices and aid the economy. The ERS report found that cost-cutting technology in biofuels is set to raise workers’ wages while improving the productivity of the overall economy. The emergence of next-generation biofuels is also expected to drive down the cost of producing ethanol as output rises.

Pratt & Whitney In Early Testing Of Geared Turbofan [biofuel compatible] Engine.

Air Transport Intelligence (10/29, Ostrower) reported, "Pratt & Whitney has entered early testing on the PurePower PW1524G geared turbofan, having achieved idle and full power runs." The company reported 10 hours of engine testing so far and is currently producing a second and third test engine. "The first six months of the two-year development process will be devoted to establishing the conforming article for regulatory approval, which will be followed by 15-18 months of certification testing." The article noted "Pratt touts a 15% to 20% improvement in fuel burn over equivalent engines."

Young algae industry getting government push.

(11/02, MSNBC, M. Rivera) Startups try to bring alternative biofuel to commercial scale. With a big boost from the government, algae is making headway as a potential replacement for some of the 18 million barrels of crude oil used daily nationwide. Not only has the federal government invested heavily in the emerging biofuel, but the military has stepped up as a potential customer. Algae biofuel, while still experimental, also is attracting the attention of big oil companies and commercial users including airlines and manufacturers. Algae biofuel is an experimental source of renewable energy that’s produced when algae produce a substance that can be harvested and processed into crude oil. The crude can then be processed in traditional oil refineries and converted into fuels for transportation, such as diesel, gasoline or jet fuel, or they can be used to replace the oils in soaps, foods and pharmaceuticals. Algae use less overall carbon than fossil fuels because the plants absorb carbon as they grow and release it when their fuels are burnt, rather than just releasing carbon during use, as is the case with petroleum-based fuels. And of course algae can be grown domestically, reducing the amount of petroleum we need to import. The clearest example of how far algal fuels have come was on display in late October when the Navy tested a river patrol boat that was powered by algae biodiesel. The small ship was the first sea vessel the Navy has tested as a part of its effort to sail a “Great Green Fleet” in 2016, and to source half of its energy from renewable fuels by 2020. Tom Hicks, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, says that those dates are based, in large part, on what the Navy expects the biofuels industry can achieve. "The goals that we've laid out for ourselves tie into where industry is headed," he says." Sapphire Energy, a San Diego-based company, grows algae using unfiltered, brackish water on land that was otherwise unused. The company's pilot facility, in the southern New Mexico desert, contains a series of long, outdoor ponds where the algae has access to abundant sunlight, which it converts into energy. Sapphire’s desert construction is common for the industry. Many algae start-ups have been built in the sunny southern United States and in Hawaii, where importing fuel is costly, says Richard Sayre of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. Kristina Burow, co-founder of Sapphire Energy, says the company “spent a considerable amount of time and effort to make our algal strains agriculture-ready, so that they can grow in a wild setting. And New Mexico is plenty wild.” With the help of over $100 million in grants and loan guarantees from the departments of Energy and Agriculture, Sapphire broke ground this year on a new, 300-acre facility. The complex will allow the company to produce larger batches of the fuel, and to test plans for self-contained production facilities. Labor costs for the young biofuel industry can be particularly high because of the need for a diverse team of biologists, geneticists and engineers, similar to the way an established oil company would employ specialists in geology and drilling technologies.

For biofuel companies, bringing down the cost of production is among the biggest challenges they face, and they are constantly searching for ways to save money and improve output. In South San Francisco, another startup, Solazyme, has tried to cut costs and speed the timeline by growing algae in fermentation tanks, feeding the microbes sugars rather than sunlight. This avoids the need to test the construction of expensive new facilities. Algae can be fed anything “from forest residue, like wood chips, to prairie grasses, like switch grass," said Jonathan Wolfson, CEO of Solazyme. Solazyme’s goal is to produce algae-based crude oils that cost between $60 and $80 per barrel, which would make it competitive with oil, currently trading for about $80 a barrel. Solazyme has partnered with oil giant Chevron, giving the company access to additional capital and to refining facilities in Pennsylvania. As Wolfson explains that, after “many years and many millions of dollars of investment,” Solzyme has been able to bring down its costs, Wolfson says. But ”ultimately, we still need a dedicated, appropriately sized plant to hit the cost structure.” Wolfson says that Solazyme, which was founded in 2003, is on track to deliver more than 100,000 barrels of oil this year, most of which will go to the Navy. He says that the coordination between the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Defense helps companies like his cross the “chasm of death” from the initial raising of capital to having a market-ready product. Despite some early successes, the algae fuel industry is still a few years from commercial-scale production. Steve Chalk, acting deputy assistant secretary of energy for renewable energy, the government, says he expects to see commercial production increase over the next five years, with algal biofuels reaching the commercial market in five to ten years. Potential customers already are testing the product. Last year Continental Airlines tested a biofuel blend that used algae from Sapphire Energy. Boeing has also tested algal biofuels, and plans to fly another test in 2011 using an algal biofuel produced in China.

Might as well expand on these ideas, hell they make ice cream from seaweed. Pretty soon all new turbines will have to meet CARB tier III compliance, not just your weed whacker. I just don't feel that comfy with a gearbox however, having seen them come apart they FOD out everything in their path.

I think they have the gearbox issue pretty much figured out by now. Pratt has a WHOLE lot of experience with this, combined with modern NDT QA. I also assume that that turbojet gearboxes are not much harder than turboprop boxes...the tprop is probably geared down lower than an N1 Fan would need to be, and you may not have as many blade pitch changes jerking the turbofan gearbox around.

Gearboxes on jets are new, and will obviously need some operational experience to be considered fully proven.

The gearbox is near the fan, so the same type of containment should work for both I would think.

Algae biofuel business won’t bloom soon.

(11/02, San Francisco Business Times, S.E.F. Brown) Sandia National Laboratories Algae is considered a prime candidate to serve as feedstock for biofuels because of its high energy content and yield, rapid growth and ability to thrive in seawater or wastewater. A report from Berkeley’s Energy Biofuel Institute says developing and testing biofuel based on algae will likely take at least a decade. Even though about 100 companies in the United States are seeking this particular grail, making oil from algae “will be neither quick nor plentiful,” say authors Nigel Quinn and Tryg Lundquist. A research team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (which is a partner in the EBI) worked with scientists at U.C. Berkeley and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to crunch numbers for this study. While some companies have scored successes growing algae in closed labs, the know-how to grow strains that are stable “under outdoor conditions, while achieving both high productivities and oil content, is still to be developed,” the report says. The U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense are both paying for pilot studies of technology available today for growing algae in open ponds, but their results aren’t yet complete. Technology to cheaply and efficiently harvest the algae cells and get their oil out also has to be developed and tested. This report hypothesized a big algae facility in California’s Imperial Valley. It assumed productivity at such a plant would be higher than possible right now due to some “plausible technological advances.” Even so, it cost $21 million to set up a 250-acre facility and about $1.5 million a year to run it. The facility would produce about 12,300 barrels of oil a year, meaning it would break even if oil cost $330 a barrel. To get the break even price down to $240 per barrel the facility had to quadruple in size to 1,000 acres. Right now, oil costs less than $100 per barrel.


USDA unites with aviation to develop biofuels.

[Editor note: This is a news item that has already been covered once. In addition by posting clips like this, endorsement or rejection is not implied.]

(11/04, K. Reals, FlightGlobal) The US Department of Agriculture has teamed with the Federal Aviation Administration on a five-year agreement aimed at developing biofuels for use in aviation. Under the memorandum of understanding, the USDA and the FAA will "work together with the airline industry over the next five years to develop appropriate feedstocks that can be most efficiently processed into jet fuel", says US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack. The two government agencies will work towards developing a tool that will evaluate the status of different components of the feedstock supply chain, such as the availability of biomass from farms and forests. The tool will also evaluate the potential of various types of biomass to be turned into jet fuel, as well as the amount of time it will take to ramp up to full-scale production. The agreement with the FAA is part of a broader US government effort to promote the production of fuel from renewable sources. "Domestic production of renewable energy, including biofuels, is a national imperative and that's why the USDA is working to assist in developing a biofuels industry in every corner of the nation," says Vilsack. "By producing more biofuels in America, we will create jobs, combat global warming, replace our dependence on foreign oil and build a stronger foundation for the 21st century economy." Richard Altman, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, sees the USDA initiatives as a positive step. Before the MoU was announced, Altman said: "The seeds have been sown for a very close relationship between agricultural interests and aviation - this will mature even further as initiatives are announced."

Navy energy czar: Wringing out every barrel of oil

(11/08, J.Steele, SignOnSanDiego) "...Aiming to cut down its dependence on foreign oil, the Navy this year has also pressed forward with testing so-called biofuels in its aircraft and boats. An F/A-18 Hornet running on a 50-50 blend of standard jet fuel and mustard seed oil took its maiden flight at a Maryland air station in April. Dubbed the Green Hornet, the fighter jet has made speeds of Mach 1.7 on the hybrid fuel. Last month, the Navy tried out a 50-50 blend of regular gas and algae-based fuel in an experimental riverine command boat in Norfolk, Va. A SH-60 Seahawk helicopter is one of its next “green” test projects. Hicks said the results have been good so far. “There’s been nary a whisper of any change in performance,” he said Monday. The Navy is shooting to assemble what it is calling a “great green fleet.” It would start with demonstrating by 2012 a “green” strike group, meaning an aircraft carrier and its supporting ships running on “green” gas. By 2016, it would deploy the strike group. Hicks said the experiment will only be successful if the Navy is not forced to make any mechanical changes to its engines to accommodate the biofuel blend..."

Sapphire Energy: Algae Oil in 18 Months?

(Greentechmedia, 11/16, M. Kanellos) The first big test for Sapphire Energy is not that far away. The company, which hopes to produce oil with genetically modified algae in open ponds at an economically attractive price, will soon break ground on a 100-acre facility for growing algae in New Mexico, said Tim Zenk, vice president of corporate affairs at the company during an interview. Construction time takes about 16 to 18 months he added. Sapphire has also completed a good portion of the biotechnology needed to raise organisms that can produce large amounts of hydrocarbons, Zenk noted. Hence, in 18 months or so, the world might have a better idea of whether Sapphire's strategy actually has legs. The pond won't be optimized for commercial production but it will give a general idea if the company is headed in the right direction. Sapphire has provided algae oil to trials with airplanes and cars but the oil did not come from the genetically modified organisms being created by Sapphire nor did these oils derive from the processes Sapphire hopes to use commercially. Algae fuel as a concept has already scaled the peaks of hype and plunged into the trough of despair. But guess what comes after that: the emergence of a few commercially viable companies. Sapphire, along with Solazyme and a few others has always sat in the top tier of the algae world, so the fact that progress is occurring is news. The market circumstances have also begun to improve slightly for biofuels. Oil prices are inching up again and the U.S. government has not retreated from its biofuel goals which come to 36 billion gallons by 2022 (The Department of Transportation also has raised the CAFE standards to 35.5 miles per gallon in 2016 and may raise it to 62 miles per gallon in 2025)...

An internal writeup that I saw on this stated that the current cost to the navy was $400/gallon. That's GALLON, not barrel. If that's correct and not a typo (maybe they meant barrel?) they have a loooong way to go.

I vote it's a typo.

1. The Air Force and Navy together bought a total of 600,000 gallons of biofuel last year for testing from several of the new startups. 600,000 x $400 = $240 million. $4.4 million is what you get by dividing that figure by 55 gallons which seems more plausible to me. Honeywell UOP, Sapphire, and Solazyme are the startups that provided most of the fuel.

2. DARPA publicly stated last year it can already make biofuel for $3 a gallon. Problem is they can only make a few gallons. Facilities do not presently exist for large-scale production although the startups above are working very hard to tool up as we speak. 2013 is an most optimistic projection while others put it around 2018. Even the more pessimistic estimates put the price of a barrel at about $300- see article above dated 11/02.

3. Jet biofuel will have to be priced like crude oil to get the airlines to buy it, and the numbers there are huge. Airlines use a LOT of fuel, and they represent a key test of its commercial success. An large array of for-profit, nonprofit, and government groups are currently supporting the invention of economical biofuels for jets. Although the effort only began a couple of years ago it is off to a rapid pace. From what I gather it will be no more than a few years from certification to mass production. Algae won the contest for the version most suitable for development, and the performance of algae-based fuels has thus far been excellent. I doubt the military would be very interested in fuel costing $400 a gallon even with their latitude for expenditure, but in this case they may have justified it as a necessary use of the taxpayers money.

Aviation industry ditches hydrogen development due to high cost.

(BBC News, M. Fitzpatrick, 11/17) Is the sun setting again on hydrogen-powered aviation? It took just 32 seconds to extinguish faith in the airship and the hydrogen that once buoyed the Hindenburg, which erupted in a fatal inferno 73 years ago. Hydrogen is being dropped again by the aviation industry. But this time the promised "green" fuel for powering flights of the future has been quietly shelved in favour of biofuels and more fossil fuel-sipping aviation. And while hydrogen as a potential "greener" fuel for foreseeable flights gets dumped worldwide, airlines and aircraft manufacturers are also jettisoning their once radical ideas for such hydrogen-burning, sci-fi-like, cryoplanes...

Butanol is where it's at. It can be made more efficiently than ethanol, and has a freezing point low enough to prevent coagulation. The additional methyl groups have enough hydrophobic & van der Wals interactions to lower the freezing point below normal cruise SAT...

Oh brother. What a huge surprise. Not.

Gaseous H2 takes up tremendous volume...an airliner would need to tow a gasbag the size of the Hindenburg.

Liquid H2 is off the charts for volatility, corrosiveness. It's at the far end of the cryogenic chart, creating even more handling and storage challenges.

It does have great specific energy and is zero-emissions though.

Lufthansa To Power Some Flights With Biofuel.

(AP, 11/29) "Germany's biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says it will launch the world's first passenger flight using biofuel next year." Lufthansa "said Monday that an Airbus A321 aircraft on daily flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt will be powered with a biofuel blend made from 50 percent vegetable oil. The flights will begin in April 2011 and continue for six months as part of a government-backed study on the long-term impact of biofuels on aircraft performance."

Forecasts 2011: Environment - Turning on to biofuels.

(Flightglobal, K. Reals, 1/05) Securing enough investment to scale up the production of biofuels for use in commercial aviation hinges on the authorisation of such fuels by certificating body ASTM International. This approval was expected in mid-December, but the anticipated date for authorisation has slipped to the first quarter of 2011. Richard Altman, executive director of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), describes 2011 as a "critical year" for initial investment in production programmes aimed at scaling up feedstock availability to commercially viable levels.Altman had been hoping an ASTM subcommittee would authorise hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel during a series of meetings in December, which would have kick-started the huge amounts of investment needed to scale up production. However, he says the work is "99% done" and is confident the full ASTM committee will still be able to vote on whether to approve the fuels before the end of the first quarter, as originally planned. A recent five-year agreement between the US Department of Agriculture and the Federal Aviation Administration to work together on developing feedstocks that can be processed into jet fuel will go some way toward increasing feedstock availability. "There is concern that the amount of agricultural crops available will be limited," says Altman. "The seeds have been sown for a very close relationship between agricultural interests and aviation. This will mature even further as initiatives are announced." There are also cost concerns, with Airbus chief Tom Enders recently estimating that biofuel is 25 times as expensive as normal jet fuel. Ausilio Bauen, director of sustainable energy consultancy E4tech, says: "It is difficult to see the cost of biofuels at less than $100 a barrel."

Press Releases

Stephanie Duvall
Pratt & Whitney Military Engines
860.557.1382
[email protected]

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Jan. 6, 2011 - A Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 engine recently powered its first biofuel test flight of a U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This flight test, powered by alternative jet fuel, comes on the heels of engine ground testing completed earlier this year at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. These tests directly support the U.S. Air Force’s goal of acquiring half of its domestic jet fuel requirements from alternate sources by 2016. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.

This is Pratt & Whitney’s second military engine to successfully complete ground and flight tests using biofuels. A C-17 Globemaster III, powered exclusively by four Pratt & Whitney F117 engines, completed testing in August. Similar tests are planned for the F119 in the near future.

“We are pleased with the performance of our military engines using alternate jet fuels during ground and flight tests,” said Bev Deachin, vice president, Military Programs and Customer Support, Pratt & Whitney. “These successful tests are in direct support of our U.S. Air Force customer’s goal to acquire and use alternate jet fuel sources for its fleet.”

The flight tests blended Hydrotreated Renewable Jet (HRJ), an eco-friendly alternative from sources including animal fats or plant extracts such as camelina, with traditional JP-8 jet fuel. Ground testing also included a blend of JP-8 jet fuel, HRJ, and a synthetic fuel made from coal.

Pratt & Whitney military engines include the F135 for the F-35 Lightning II, the F119 for the F-22 Raptor, the F100 family that powers the F-15 and F-16, the F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III, the J52 for the EA-6B Prowler, the TF33 powering AWACS, Joint STARS, B-52, and KC-135 aircraft, and the TF30 for the F-111. In addition, Pratt & Whitney offers a global network of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul and Military Aftermarket Services focused on maintaining engine readiness for our customers.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities and operational engine performance. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in funding related to F100, F117 and F119 engines, changes in government procurement priorities and practices or in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

# # #

I agree. In addition to the lower freezing point, butanol has a lot higher energy/btu content than ethanol. It is much closer to our current petroleum based fuels. One of the big problems with ethanol is that a significantly higher volume of it would need to be carried to get the same amount of energy that we get with jetA. It makes it a less viable alternative fuel.

It turns out that ethanol isn't really that much better for the environment (possibly worse) than its petroleum counterparts. From what I remember from my Chem-E days, the process for manufacturing butanol from corn yields a large proportion of ethanol which keep the cost of ethanol lower, and probably still gives ethanol a lower environmental impact than butanol.
With that being said, we should be looking into all available alternatives because the cost of oil is going to inevitably sky rocket out of affordability.


These articles have been an interesting read.

Ethanol is not a good substitute for petroleum fuels, it only thrives in the US because of the political power of the mid-west agriculture lobby. A few other nations use it because they have more biomass than petroleum reserves.

Also, this thread is titled "Future Fuels for JETS". We want jet fuels, not alcohol or gasoline. Jet-A made from algae feedstock is the best choice in this area. Several large companies are tooling up to do it. We can start a broader thread on ethanol and butanol but this one is about jet fuels and mostly about jet bio fuels, although synthetics are also included. Making ethanol to then turn around and make jet fuel with it also makes little sense although I guess it can be done. If you want to argue that, please support it with something.

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Purdue researcher: Ethanol has peaked.
Has the use of ethanol in the U.S. reached its saturation point?

(E. Weddle, 01/10/11, JCOnline) Yes, or says the conclusion of a Purdue University agricultural economics professor who has studied federal data about how ethanol is consumed and about the growth potential in the industry to meet an upcoming federal mandate for renewable fuel use. Wally Tyner says developing next-generation biofuels, such as ones produced from algae or another biomass, is the only way to reach the mandate due to a lack of infrastructure in the U.S. for ethanol. "You can produce bio-gasoline or green diesel as cellulosic fuels. You don't have to produce ethanol," Tyner said of fuels that still are in the development stage. "It goes right into the pipeline and can go right into the system and blend with the gasoline..."

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An unusually pessimistic view of biofuel R&D is presented by the next writer. Some of his points I agree with but either way you do not see a contrary view like this very often. The gist of his perspective is based on the historical fact that fuels always become cheaper and more energy dense as time rolls on rather than the reverse which is true of biofuels. The problem with this is the cost picture will change. Whether it is 15 years or 1500 I think it is safe to assume fossil fuels will get radically more expensive with time. The issue of energy density will not matter as much when the cost is so high. For all we know the low energy-density issue for biofuels may not be as bad if algael biofuel production is successfully pioneered. The real issue in my mind is getting the development done while fossil fuels are still cheaply available so when they run out we have biofuels and other forms of energy at the ready.

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Aviation Biofuels: Real or Green Fantasy?

(AvWeb, 01/17/11, P. Bertorelli) Sometimes, the more you learn about a thing, the more information you gather and the more people you talk to about a specific topic, the harder it is judge. That's definitely the case with aviation biofuels which are, in a sense, leading the charge towards a greener, bio-based fuel economy. I have pored over dozens of reports, research presentations, studies and news articles on this topic and conducted a number of interviews.

The impression I get is of an industry operating on an underlying assumption that biofuels are an inevitability. The typical headline reports on some new development or milestone that's been achieved, but down in the body of the story, you rarely see the offsetting qualifier noting that the entire edifice isn't out of the R&D phase yet. There's a strong tendency to green wash everything, including editorial coverage. When you ask, "how much," people stop talking.

There are aspects of this story that I find encouraging and some that I find worrisome. Specifically, the sheer amount of research work in this area is staggering. There are probably dozens of processes using just as many bio feedstocks and the fact that the Navy and Air Force are throwing money at the problem will have inevitable spinoffs for the commercial side. The fuels themselves—specifically hydrotreated renewable jet—seem to perform well, so well in fact that the Navy is satisfied that the principle part of its testing is done. It wants to run all of its airplanes and ships on a 50/50 blend of petroleum by 2020, an ambitious timeline.

On the piston side, Swift fuel continues its research. Although Swift was initially pitched as a biofuel, I now believe that's a misnomer. It can be a biofuel, if its acetone-based feedstock is derived from biomass. But in my view, the reality is more agnostic than that. Swift's work has concentrated on the downstream side—how to turn acetone into high-octane binary fuel—not the upstream side, which is making the acetone from biomass in the first place. Right now, Swift's largest challenge is finding cheap acetone, regardless of its source...

[Salicornia] Plant seeds could produce jet fuel

(1/21, V. Todorova, The National) The unassuming salicornia bigelovii - commonly known as the dwarf glasswort - has succulent stems and leaves and thrives in salty water, where many other plants cannot. But those properties give little indication of the American plant's greatest treasure: its seeds are one-third oil, which has raised the hopes of researchers that it might just be the sustainable source of biofuel the aviation industry has been looking for. Biofuels are considered carbon-neutral because the plants or vegetation from which they are produced assimilate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as they grow, compensating for what is released as the fuel is burned. After conducting a preliminary, year-long study, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has concluded that the plant holds enough promise to move ahead on a project designed to extract fuel from the salicornia's seeds.In partnership with the Boeing Company, Etihad Airways and Honeywell, Masdar is searching for a suitable location to cultivate the plant...

Alternative Fuels Don’t Benefit the Military, a RAND Report Says

(T. Zeller, NYTimes.com, 1/25) The Navy has been leading the foray into advanced algae-based fuels. The Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) is run on a blend of algae-based and marine fuels. The United States would derive no meaningful military benefit from increased use of alternative fuels to power its jets, ships and other weapons systems, according to a government-commissioned study by the RAND Corporation scheduled for release Tuesday. The report also argued that most alternative-fuel technologies were unproven, too expensive or too far from commercial scale to meet the military’s needs over the next decade. In particular, the report argued that the Defense Department was spending too much time and money exploring experimental biofuels derived from sources like algae or the flowering plant camelina, and that more focus should be placed on energy efficiency as a way of combating greenhouse gas emissions. The report urged Congress to reconsider the military’s budget for alternative-fuel projects. But if such fuels are to be pursued, the report concluded, the most economic, environmentally sound and near-term candidate would be a liquid fuel produced using a combination of coal and biomass, as well as some method for capturing and storing carbon emissions released during production. The findings by the nonprofit research group, which grew out of a directive in the 2009 Defense Authorization Act calling for further study of alternative fuels in military vehicles and aircraft, are likely to provoke much debate in Washington. The Obama administration has directed billions of dollars to support emerging clean-energy technologies even as Congress has been unwilling to pass any sort of climate or renewable energy legislation. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is seeking to improve the military’s efficiency and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels over the coming decade, devoting $300 million in economic stimulus financing and other research money toward those goals. RAND’s conclusions drew swift criticism from some branches of the military — particularly the Navy, which has been leading the foray into advanced algae-based fuels. “Unfortunately, we were not engaged by the authors of this report,” said Thomas W. Hicks, deputy assistant secretary of energy for the Navy. “We don’t believe they adequately engaged the market,” he said, adding, “This is not up to RAND’s standards.” The analysis has also irked environmental groups and biofuels proponents, who argued that RAND had underestimated the commercial viability of algae and overestimated the availability and efficacy of carbon capture and storage technology.

The Air Force is engaged in extensive testing of biofuel blends in its aircraft, and the Navy received 20,000 gallons of algae-based fuel for testing and certification from the California company Solazyme last summer. Solazyme signed a contract with the Defense Department to deliver another 150,000 gallons this year. Proponents of these endeavors argue that the military, with its substantial buying power, can help spur the expansion of renewable fuel markets into the civilian sphere. “This would not be the first example of a military-driven research project where the civilian benefit far outweighs the military benefit,” said Paul Winters, a spokesman for the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington. “Witness the Internet,” he said. Mr. Hicks of the Navy also took issue with the notion that there was no military benefit to the pursuit of oil alternatives. “We are doing this because there are energy security issues at play,” he said. “Every barrel of oil we can replace with something that’s produced domestically, the better we are as a nation, and the more secure and more independent we are.” In the report, however, James T. Bartis, a senior policy researcher at RAND and the lead author of the analysis, argued that while the military consumes substantial amounts of liquid fuels — about 340,000 barrels each day — this accounts for less than 2 percent of the nation’s total use, which is estimated to be 19 million barrels a day. As such, the greenhouse-gas benefits arising from the military’s efforts along these lines are likely to be minuscule. The authors argued that both the Defense Department and Congress should “reconsider whether defense appropriations should continue to support the development of advanced alternative fuel technologies.” Further, the report said that the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 required that any alternative and synthetic fuels bought by federal agencies for “mobility-related use” must have lower greenhouse gas emissions — or at least no greater — than those of conventional fuels...

Air Force OKs biofuel jet fuel mix in aircraft

(CNET, 2/14/11) The Air Force has approved a blend of jet fuel and plant-based fuels to work with an aircraft for first time.The certification, announced yesterday[/URL], covers the C-17 Globemaster III, a transport aircraft made by Boeing and used for moving troops and cargo.The Air Force tested a blend of up to 50 percent of biofuel, called hydrotreated renewable jet fuel, and JP-8 jet fuel, and found no degradation in performance for pilots. The biofuel mix will burn cleaner, reducing the amount of sulfur compounds emitted and will further the military's goal of reducing its use of petroleum-based fuels, the Air Force said. "When blended as we've done, this is a potential drop-in solution for jet fuel for our aircraft, requiring no modification to systems or special handling or monitoring," Jeff Braun, the Air Force's alternative fuel certification office chief, said in a statement. Because of its buying power and security risks from transporting fuels, the military is a very significant customer to prove out renewable energy products. A base in Afghanistan developed a solar power system[/URL] to reduce the amount of diesel it uses in generators and the Air Force is also going to try out a waste-to-energy system later this year. In the commercial world, biofuel company Solayzme this week a partnership to develop aviation fuels with Quantas. Biofuel and chemicals company Gevo, which makes biobutanol, went public this week, one of the few biofuels companies to reach that point in scale. One of the products it intends to make is a "biojet blendstock" made by converting butanol to kerosene, a component of jet fuel.

Boeing Wants Biofuel Market By 2015.

The AP (2/15, Tibbits) reports Boeing "hopes aviation biofuels will be practical for the market by around 2015, but it's going to take a lot of work." Richard Wynne, Boeing Commercial Airplane's director of environment and aviation policy, spoke on the issue on Monday. Wynne reportedly called biofuel development "critical" as more planes are launched in the coming years. "Boeing doesn't plan to make biofuel itself, but will be a "facilitator" for its adoption, Wynne said."

Airbus, Tarom To Build Biofuel Factory.

Flight International (3/23, Reals) reports Airbus and Tarom will construct an aviation biofuel facility in Romania "as part of the European airframer's plan to develop at least one such facility on every continent." Currently, a "feasibility study" is underway to see where it would be located. "Airbus and Tarom are hoping to be able to produce enough biofuel in the short term to carry out a series of flight tests," with the goal to eventually sell the biofuel to other airlines.

Boeing Says Jatropha-Curcas Biofuel Has Significant Potential.

The Puget Sounds Business Journal (4/1) reports Boeing "said a study of using the jatropha-curcas plant as biofuel showed 'significant potential'" after it sponsored a study of the fuel by Yale University. In a statement, Boeing said, "The study shows that, if cultivated properly, jatropha can deliver strong environmental and socioeconomic benefits in Latin America and greenhouse gas reductions of up to 60 percent when compared to petroleum-based jet fuel."

Nice to see Boeing putting another foot forward on this, also good that they are focusing on economic viability as well as all the touchy-feely carbon stuff. Lends a touch of credibility to the concept.

Algae Holds Promise as Renewable Fuel — Just Not Yet.

(A. Schultz, CNBC, 4/18) Algae is fast becoming a promising renewable biofuel because it can grow nearly anywhere, be blended with, or replace most traditional fuels, and can't be used as food. But algae is far from a perfect solution. Industry observers say it will take anywhere from five to 15 years for algae to be produced on a scale that would be meaningful to the nation’s fuel needs.“There’s a significant amount of capital required for algal oil producers to scale up to commercial meaningful quantities,” says Jim Rekoske, general manager at Honeywell’s UOP division, which provides technologies to the gas processing, refining and petrochemical industry. Still, several privately held companies as well as academic institutions are actively pursuing practical, cost-effective methods of developing algae for use as a fuel. Several major energy companies—including Valero, ConocoPhilips and Chevron — are working with university research efforts, providing financing for small companies, or both.That’s because maybe, someday, big oil companies can consider algae a fuel source for their existing extensive networks of refineries and pipelines, industry sources say.Today, the U.S. uses about 150 billion gallons of gasoline a year, and 50 billion gallons of diesel and jet fuel, says Philip Pienkos, acting group manager of the applied science group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Algae could be used to address all those fuel needs as a stand-alone fuel, or if it’s blended with other fuels, depending on the refinery process used, Pienkos says. Unlike corn-based ethanol, the most common biofuel, algae production does not contribute to rising food prices by diverting production away from consumption.“It has the potential to impact our entire petroleum-based fuel portfolio,” he says...

Algae Biofuel For Aviation Not Expected To Be Cost Effective Soon.

(Flight International, 4/19, Reals) reports, "Algae is touted as holding the greatest potential as a long-term replacement for kerosene, but cost issues, combined with insufficient investment, leave experts generally agreeing that its widespread use in aviation is at least a decade away." Odile Petillon, head of operations at the EADS Innovation Works Energy and Propulsion Technical Capability Center, said algae has the "highest potential" over the "mid- to long term," but it is still early in its development. Michael Lakeman, regional director of biofuel strategy at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, "agreed" with this assessment that the fuel is not cost effective yet. "Airline demand is unlikely to be strong until costs come down."

NASA Tests Biofuels Made From Animal Fat.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (4/26, Cohen) "Boeing and Aerospace News" blog reports NASA "tested fuel made from chicken and beef fat in one engine of a DC-8 in late March and early April, the agency reported Monday." During the ground tests, other engines used Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel, Jet Propellant 8, and a 50-50 blend of those two fuels. Ruben Del Rosario, manager of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project, said the "results seem to support the idea that biofuels for jet engines are indeed cleaner-burning, and release fewer pollutants into the air." The engine using the fuel derived from chicken and beef fat "emitted 90 percent less black carbon emissions at idle and almost 60 percent less at takeoff thrust, while also producing much lower sulfate, organic aerosol and hazardous emissions, according to Bruce Anderson, the experiment's chief scientist."

New biofuels to spar with ethanol.

(P. Brasher, 05/09/11, DesMoines Register) What's at stake: Iowa has become the nation's No. 1 ethanol producer, with 40 plants that produce about one-third of the nation's ethanol supply. The industry generates $13 billion to the state's economy and it's contributed heavily to recent increases in commodity prices and farm income. Ethanol accounted for more than one-third of the $1.65 a bushel increase in corn prices that took place between 2006 and 2009, according to a recent Iowa State University study. Iowa's economy depends on agriculture for between 25 and 30 percent of its gross domestic product. WHAT'S CHANGING: NEW FEEDSTOCKS Federal mandates call for the next generation of biofuels to be made from feedstocks other than corn, such as corn cobs, stalks, grasses and wood chips, which don't compete with food uses. Iowa's status in the biofuel industry of the future could change depending on which feedstocks, types of fuel, and conversion processes get used. Ethanol's answer: The industry envisions expanding existing distilleries to process the cobs or stalks as well as the grain. WHO'S CHALLENGING: OIL REFINERS: Oil refiners could become major producers of next-generation biofuels. ConocoPhillips is funding research at Iowa State University into different processes for converting cellulose, or plant matter, into conventional fuels. Refiners and other companies are looking at turning corn stover into another alcohol, called butanol, that doesn't have the same drawbacks as ethanol, or into new versions of gasoline and other conventional fuels. WHAT IOWA HAS TO LOSE: BIOMASS MARKET: Farmers could supply the cobs and stalks needed for ethanol or other biofuels. But collection is a challenge and other biomass sources in other regions could prove more efficient...

I would not be sad to see ethanol and other corn-derived fuels go the way of the dodo bird. The whole ethanol thing has got to be one of the biggest special interest scams congress has ever come up with.

Paying farmers not to grow a crop is number 1.

Making biofuels fly.


(M. Halper, 05/11, SmartPLanet) Aviation biofuel could go a long way to reducing the airline industry’s carbon emissions, but prices must first tumble, government policies must support it, and producers must deploy eco-friendly techniques. That message came through on a panel discussion here today at the Cleantech Forum Amsterdam, where speakers from Dutch airline KLM and Airbus parent EADS both also said that biofuels must work with the existing engines and infrastructure. Thijs Komen, KLM director of business innovation, said that KLM paid five times the going price of fossil based jet fuel for a trial passenger flight that it flew over Holland in 2009. For a company with an annual fuel bill of $2 million, a five-fold premium would be unthinkable. But Komen was cautiously optimistic the price will decline. “One to two years from now we’ll see a price that’s two to two-and-a-half as much as fossil fuel,” he said. A European carbon emissions trading scheme that applies to airlines starting in 2012 will contribute to that fall, as it will increase the price of traditional carbon containing jet fuel – he noted. The carbon in the kerosene that typically goes into aviation fuel would bear a cost. When will aviation biofuel actually become less expensive than fossil fuel? “I don’t know,” Komen answered. “I hope it’s not 2018/19. I hope it’s sooner than that.” EADS paid an even higher premium for the biofuel it used in separate demo flights last year in Germany and the UK, at the ILA Berlin and Farnborough air shows. “It was almost unbelievable, so I won’t tell you what it was,” quipped vice president and executive adviser for energy and propulsion John Price...

Biofuel will eventually be cheaper than Jet A...one way or another.

If biofuel prices don't come down, not to worry, petroleum fuel prices will exceed them someday regardless.

True dat !!!

Except, certain groups will always have their head stuck in the sand. The rising gas price will be a conspiracy, and if only the big bad guvment wood jist let 'em drill..... it would be $1 / gallon.

I'm enjoying the crap out of my 100% electric Nissan LEAF. Costs about $1.84 per 100 miles of electricity. No emissions. No visits to gas stations (charges in my garage at night, like a cell phone).

I wound it up to max speed, 95mph, on my acceptance day. Ops check good.

Study: Biofuels not necessarily 'greener'.

(5/11, UPI) Conventional fossil fuels are sometimes more environmentally "green" than biofuels when the complete carbon footprint of each is examined, U.S. researchers say.Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology examined a trend in the aviation industry to utilize biofuels to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Since Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly a plane on a blend of biofuel and petroleum in 2008, Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways, Continental Airlines and others have flown biofuel test flights, with Lufthansa moving to be the first carrier to run daily flights on a biofuel blend, an MIT release reported Wednesday. MIT researchers said the industry may want to make sure it has considered biofuels' complete carbon footprint before making an all-out move to the alternative fuel. When a biofuel's origins are factored in -- for example, taking into account whether the fuel is made from palm oil grown in a clear-cut rainforest -- conventional fossil fuels may sometimes be the "greener" choice, they said. "What we found was that technologies that look very promising could also result in high emissions, if done improperly," said James Hileman of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "You can't simply say a biofuel is good or bad -- it depends on how it's produced and processed, and that's part of the debate that hasn't been brought forward." ...


DOE-funded project billed as promising way to create biofuel

(A. Cary, TheNewsTribune, 05/18) A Department of Energy grant will pay for a pilot project to test a promising new way to produce biofuel and use Mid-Columbia ag and other waste to do it. The $1.5 million "BioChemCat" pilot project will be conducted at the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University Tri-Cities in cooperation with the Port of Benton, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and startup company Clean-Vantage. Its goal is to show that many types of ag waste can be efficiently converted into jet fuel, diesel or gasoline using the new BioChemCat process...


US Air Force will dedicate center to develop alternative jet fuels

(J. Nolan, 5/22, Dayton Daily News) The Air Force is opening a center for its ongoing research efforts to develop alternative jet fuels that can help lower the service’s more than $6 billion annual aircraft fuel bill and reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil. The $2.5 million building, home to equipment valued at an additional $2.5 million, will house scientists from the Air Force, University of Dayton Research Institute and Battelle Memorial Institute who are testing blends of traditional JP-8 aircraft fuel and synthetic fuels to determine whether they can reliably power Air Force planes. The Air Force Research Laboratory has provided a $10 million grant in support of the fuels research. AFRL officials are leading a formal ceremony at 10 a.m. today in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s Area B to dedicate the new building. It is near the building that the fuel researchers have been using in recent years...

Scientist Says Algae Biofuel Could Be Available In 10 Years.

(5/23, San Diego 10News) Local scientists have turned San Diego into the research capital for an alternative fuel that could be the solution for America's pain at the gas pump.The substance known to many as "pond scum" may one day be the fuel that powers cars but in a way, it is already what puts cars in motion."That's what petroleum is – it's ancient algae," said Dr. Stephen Mayfield, who is one of the leading researchers trying to unlock algae's potential as an environmentally-friendly biofuel. Mayfield said oil is nothing more than 200 million to 300 million-year-old algae pumped out of the ground. So, scientists decided to grow their own algae and extract the oil from it now instead of waiting millions of years for the process to happen naturally...

Study Finds Northwest Would Could Lead Aviation Biofuel Industry.

The AP (5/25) reported, "Boosters of aviation biofuel say the Northwest could lead the way in developing the new industry." A new "biofuels feasibility study" Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest, whose members include Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Washington State University, and several airports, finds "there are few power alternatives for airplanes. For the next 20-to-30years they'll need a liquid, energy dense fuel as good as petroleum-based fuel."


US Air Force serious about transition to biofuel blend.

(AF Times, 5/28/11, R.F. Dorr) Even the bluest of the blue — the Thunderbirds — have gone green. Over the weekend of May 20-21, two of the flight team’s F-16 Falcons were scheduled to use a biofuel to soar above air show crowds at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Only six weeks before, three F-15E Strike Eagles flew over opening day ceremonies for the Philadelphia Phillies, also powered by plant seeds. The C-17 Globemaster, too, goes up on biofuel, and so can the A-10 Warthog. And the crown jewel, the F-22 Raptor — well, it’s no longer a petroleum-based JP-8 guzzler, either. In two years, if all goes according to plan, every one of the 5,244 planes in the Air Force’s fleet will be certified to operate on blends. By 2016, the service wants to use alternative fuels for at least half of its domestic aviation fuel requirements...

Ethanol powers surface vehicles and not jets but I thought this was interesting. Like Rick said, it has little to do with what's good for the country or the world, and everything to do with a shameless struggle for political power.
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Who's Afraid Of Ethanol? The 2012 Race Will Tell

(NPR, 05/29, D. Gonyea) Corn is big business in Iowa, which has usually made anything but support for ethanol subsidies off-limits for presidential hopefuls. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty thinks he can win in Iowa, despite his view that all energy subsidies, including ethanol, should be phased out. There has long been a truism for presidential hopefuls in Iowa. If you want to do well in the first of the nation caucuses, then you'd better support subsidies for ethanol. Yet this year, with overall federal spending and deficits becoming such a major issue, the political rules regarding ethanol may be changing. Go back and listen to Iowa stump speeches from candidates past — Democrat and Republican alike, front runners and long shots — and you'll hear lines that have been music to the ears of the states' corn growers. "I support ethanol and I support ethanol strongly," George W. Bush said in 1999. "And I'd support ethanol whether I was here in Iowa or not." That same year, Al Gore boasted of a tie-breaking vote he cast while presiding over the U.S. Senate as vice president. "I voted, and we saved ethanol," he said. "And Iowa won." In 2008, Barack Obama championed ethanol subsides, too...

ASTM International Backs Use Of Biofuels For Airlines.

Bloomberg News (6/10, Downing) reports, "Airlines won the backing of a US- based technical-standards group to power their planes with a blend of traditional fuel and biofuel from inedible plants, the Air Transport Association said today." According to the announcement, airlines could use fuels made up to 50% of biofuels from materials like woodchips or algae. ASTM International has so far given preliminary approval for biofuel use with final approval coming next month at the earliest, according to ASTM communications director Barbara Schindler. Furthermore, Engine maker GE "said at a 50 percent blend level it doesn't expect to see any impact on engines or operability."

Air Transport Intelligence (6/9, Reals) also noted the likely approval by the ASTM International, and according to the article, this is "opening up the possibility for biofuel-powered flights to operate during the 2011 Paris air show" later this month.

Airlines Sign Biofuel Agreement With Solena.

Air Transport Intelligence (6/20, Reals) reports, "A group of 10 airlines has teamed up to sign letters of intent with US bioenergy firm Solena to purchase alternative jet fuel derived from waste biomass from 2015." The biofuel will come from the Solena's GreenSky California plant to be built by 2013. The plant "will produce up to 16 million gal of neat jet fuel a year by 2015, converting about 550,000 metric tons of waste that would otherwise have gone to landfill into fuel through the Fischer-Tropsch process."

Biofuel blend for jets OK'd | The News Journal | delawareonline.com


LONDON -- Airlines have won the backing of a U.S.-based technical-standards group to power their planes with a blend of traditional fuel and biofuel from inedible plants, the Air Transport Association said Thursday.

Fuel processed from organic waste or nonfood materials, such as algae or wood chips, may comprise as much as 50 percent of the total fuel burned to power passenger flights, ATA spokesman Steve Lott and a Boeing official said.

"The real winners of this type of regulatory breakthrough will be technology companies involved in the production of aviation biofuels," said Harry Boyle, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. "The biotech-biofuels business models of Amyris Inc., Codexis Inc., Gevo Inc. and Solazyme Inc. are all making claims to these types of new markets."

Other biofuels companies that may benefit from opening up the $139 billion-a-year aviation fuel market are Neste Oil of Finland, Spain's Abengoa and Honeywell International Inc.'s UOP unit, which is developing a fuel-making technology.

The decision to amend jet fuel specifications to include fuels from bio-derived sources "is a tremendous accomplishment for aviation and the result of tremendous collaboration across the entire industry," Boeing Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy Billy Glover said.

The preliminary approval was granted this week by the West Conshohocken, Pa.-based ASTM International, and it may allow Airbus and Deutsche Lufthansa to undertake a six-month trial they plan in the coming weeks using one engine powered 50 percent by biofuel from jatropha, camelina and animal waste.

Final approval will happen on July 1 at the earliest, Barbara Schindler, communications director at ASTM, said. Airlines will then be able to begin using bio-derived fuel a week or so thereafter, she said.

Under their Burnfair project, Airbus and Lufthansa plan to fly using so-called hydrotreated renewable jet fuel every day, four times a day, from Hamburg to Frankfurt. Lufthansa is aiming to blend clean fuel with kerosene at up to 10 percent of the total by 2020. Airbus estimates airlines may consume 30 percent of their fuel from plant-derived sources by 2030.

The 27-nation European Union is prodding airlines toward cleaner fuels by forcing them to cap emissions or buy permits for the excess beginning next year. Aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global carbon-dioxide emissions.

General Electric, the world's biggest jet engine maker by sales last year, said at a 50 percent blend level, it doesn't expect to see any impact on engines or operability. Airbus and Boeing, which together manufacture about 80 percent of the world's passenger planes, are planning to set up biofuel production chains across the world.

Jets to run on biofuel by 2015.

(7/11, CNN) Qantas, Virgin and Boeing go green as their costs soar due to carbon tax: Aircraft running on biofuel derived from camelina plants are due to be soaring through Australian skies by 2015- the same year a jet biofuel refining facility is set to open. Green fuel will be become an increasingly economic option in the light of the Australian government’s carbon tax announcement. A conglomerate that includes Qantas, Virgin and Boeing has committed to a plan that will ensure that at least five percent of Australia’s aviation fuel will be biofuel by 2015, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. By 2050, this commitment increases to 40 percent. The plan would see biofuel mixed with carbon-emitting, regular jet fuel. Flying in Australia is about to get more expensive: The cost of aviation fuel for domestic use will increase by six cents per liter when the carbon tax is applied next year, with this increasing to 10 cents by 2014. The airline industry is bracing for a $930 million increase in costs over the next four years. International carriers will not be subject to the tax and Australian airlines will have to compete on an uneven playing field. "While we are still modeling the cost impact, at $23 per ton there will be some effect on passengers through higher domestic fares,” Qantas group executive Olivia Wirth told The Daily Telegraph. "By mid-2012 the Qantas group will be facing a carbon price in three markets [internationally] and it will be impossible for us to absorb these costs in their entirety." Japan Airlines conducted a demonstration biofuel flight in January, 2009. KLM operated the "world's first passenger biofuel flight" in November, 2009. Looks like biofuel might be the way of the future...