Advanced BioFuels USA

by Leslie Josephs (CNBC)  -Sustainable aviation fuel accounts for much less than 1% of global aviation fuel.  -The FAA is giving research grants in effect to help drive down the high cost of greener sustainable fuel.  -Airlines, trade groups and governments are striving to meet ambitious targets to reduce aviation carbon emissions.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday announced a series of new university research grants in hopes of making greener aviation fuel cheaper and less scarce.

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Carriers have already made purchase commitments for the fuels, such as those made with cooking oil or municipal waste, which according to the International Air Transport Association can produce 80% lower emissions than conventional jet fuel.

“There isn’t an airline CEO that I’ve spoken to in the last six or 12 months that does not want to fly SAF,” John Slattery, CEO of airline engine giant General Electric Aviation, told reporters last week.

His comments came after United Airlines flew (non-paying) passengers, including Slattery, in a Boeing 737 Max 8 using SAF in one of its two engines, an industry first aimed to draw lawmakers’ attention to how easily carriers could substitute conventional fuel for a greener alternative, and win incentives to increase production.

Supplies are extremely limited. Sustainable aviation fuels account for much less than 1% of the industry’s jet-fuel demand and can cost more than triple the price of conventional fuel.

In September, the Biden administration launched a initiative to boost sustainable aviation fuel to 3 billion gallons a year by 2030.

“For biofuels to get their foot in the door, you need oil to be a lot more expensive than it is now or the cost of biofuels to come down,” said Jan Brueckner, an economics professor at the University of California-Irvine. “Airlines can do these kinds of events but the raw economics are that the biofuels are not economical now for an airline.”

The $1.4 million FAA is giving five universities will go to research for projects that will explore the viability of construction waste to make fuel at the University of Hawaii and retrofitting existing refineries to make the fuel at Washington State University.

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(United CEO Scott) Kirby says the industry needs private partnerships and incentives like tax credits to spur supply and said the industry should look at feed stock beyond the food supply such as crops like corn and sugar.

“Once we get to 10% [of production] the next 10% and 20% gets easier. Our goal is to get to 10% by 2030,” he told reporters after the SAF flight landed from Chicago at Washington Reagan National Airport. “The first part is the hardest part.”  READ MORE

FAA Awards Research Grants to Build Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chains (Federal Aviation Administration)

FAA Awards More SAF Production Research Funds (AIN Online)

FAA Grants $1.4 Million to Build Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply Chains: Five of the nation’s top research universities were selected to analyze regional feedstock and understand environmental impacts of SAF production. (Flying Magazine)

Excerpt from Federal Aviation Administration: The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is tapping some of the nation’s top research institutions to build sustainable aviation fuel supply chains in different regions across the United States. More than $1.4 million will go to five universities to undertake the research.  Since 2014, the FAA has invested more than $13 million in the effort being conducted by ASCENT, the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment. 

“Sustainable aviation fuels are a critical part of meeting our climate goals for aviation, and we want to help that industry grow and create jobs right here in the U.S.,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These funds will help build regional supply chains so that communities across our country – many of them rural – feel the economic benefits of producing sustainable aviation fuel.”

The universities’ research concentrates on identifying regional feedstock that can become sustainable aviation fuel using the region’s existing infrastructure, creating a dependable supply within reach of airport demand. Researchers have and continue to look at other barriers that need to be eliminated to drive down the cost of sustainable aviation fuel. 

The investment builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement this September of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Grand Challenge, a government-wide initiative designed to catalyze the production of at least three billion gallons per year by 2030.

The research teams on this project include:

Washington State University: $412,000 

• Examine the potential for retrofitting existing pulp and paper mills, sugarcane mills, dry corn ethanol plants, and petroleum refineries to enable jet fuel production from forest harvests, waste materials, and various crops. 
• Evaluate supply chains for their ability to create jobs, aid U.S. industry, and add resiliency to the national liquid fuel supply. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $450,000 

• Consider the economic and environmental sustainability of a range of fuel pathways, including the co-production of sustainable aviation fuel in existing petroleum refineries. 

University of Tennessee: $100,000 

• Support the development of an industry to produce sustainable aviation fuel using woody biomass feedstock in the Central Appalachian Region.

University of Hawaii: $100,000 

• Develop a model for tropical oil supply chains and assess gasification systems to produce fuel and/or hydrogen from construction and demolition landfill waste.

Purdue University: $350,000 

• Understand the land use impacts of sustainable aviation fuels on greenhouse gas emissions.

Today’s funding is part of $14.4 million in grants to teams at 13 universities across the country to undertake research critical to building a sustainable aviation system. A detailed description of all 35 projects and their associated grant amounts can be found here. Among these is a new project that builds on a supply chain effort to examine how hydrogen production can be leveraged to produce sustainable aviation fuel with maximum greenhouse gas emission reductions at the lowest possible costs.

Last month, the U.S. released its first-ever comprehensive Aviation Climate Action Plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Earlier this year, the FAA announced more than $100 million in matching grants to increase aircraft efficiency, reduce noise and aircraft emissions, and develop and implement new software to reduce taxi delays. READ MORE