Cellulosic Jet Fuel for Use on Commercial Flights
John Simpson | October 26, 2016Biofuel manufacturer Gevo Inc. has completed production of what it says is the world’s first cellulosic renewable jet fuel specified for use on commercial flights.
Gevo says it expects Alaska Airlines to fly the first commercial flight using the cellulosic ATJ formulation within the next several months. Image credit: Pixabay.The company has adapted its processes for converting cellulosic sugars derived from wood waste into renewable isobutanol to produce alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel. It says the cellulosic ATJ meets the ASTM D7566 specification, paving the way for its use in commercial aviation.
Revisions to ASTM D7566, which occurred earlier this year, permit ATJ derived from renewable isobutanol irrespective of the carbohydrate feedstock (i.e., cellulosics, corn, sugar cane, molasses, etc.), Gevo says.
Gevo has produced over 1,000 gallons of the biofuel and says it expects Alaska Airlines to fly the first commercial flight using the cellulosic ATJ formulation within the next several months. In June, Alaska Airlines flew two commercial flights on Gevo ATJ derived from isobutanol produced using corn as the sugar feedstock.
The cellulosic ATJ was produced using sugars derived from forest residuals in the Pacific Northwest. Gevo produced the cellulosic renewable isobutanol at its demonstration facility in St. Joseph, Missouri, before converting it to ATJ at its biorefinery facility in Silsbee, Texas.
“I have long championed the development of commercial jet fuel made from renewable sources," says Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. "It was what we first envisioned when the Virgin Green Fund invested in Gevo with the aim of developing fuel from cellulosic materials such as wood waste."