by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you were reading BBC’s coverage of the aviation biofuels space yesterday, you would have seen the provocative headline: Wood fuel plan to cut plane CO2 branded as ‘pipe dream’ Then would have looked in vain for
flight tests
Back TO HOMESouth African Airways Operates Flight with Nicotine-Free Tobacco-Based Biofuel
(Biofuels International) Boeing, South African Airways (SAA) and low-cost carrier Mango have operated Africa’s first sustainable-fuelled flights powered with tobacco-based biofuels. The SAA and Mango flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, operated by a Boeing 737-800, used sustainable biojet fuel produced
July 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Airbus Wants Slime from Green Algae to Fuel Its Planes
by Ben Rosen (Christian Science Monitor) Algae grows faster and produces higher energy yields than other plants, but is much more expensive to turn into fuel than traditional petroleum byproducts. -- ... Airbus researchers are growing algae for biofuel
June 17, 2016 Read Full Article
Cathay Sets Biofuels-Based Flight Record, as New A350 Ushers in Renewable Jet Era at Hong Kong
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) These days, Cathay Pacific trades under the slogan “Life Well Travelled” and the delivery of the first of 48 super-modern, super-quiet, super-chic Airbus 350-900s is another milestone for that branding — but it might as
June 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Jet Fuel, Competitive Cost, at Scale: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to AltAir
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In March, United Airlines made history by becoming the first U.S. airline to begin use of commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regularly scheduled flights with the departure of United Flight 708 from Los Angeles International
May 20, 2016 Read Full Article
Baseball, the Trade Deadline, and the Industrial Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Some teams are sellers. They reduce costs, go lean, and hunker down in a case of “wait’ll next year”. In industrial biotechnology, the calendar tells us it’s May but it might as well be July, because
May 17, 2016 Read Full Article
ARA Delivers Game-Changing 100% Renewable Fuels to the Navy
(Applied Research Associates/ARA) No More Blending: 100 Percent Drop-In Renewable Fuel will Increase Energy Security for U.S. Military While Reducing CO2 Emissions -- The Navy is performing certification testing on neat, unblended ReadiJet® and ReadiDiesel® which will result in new
March 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Takreer Refinery Blends Biofuel
(Khaleej Times) The BIOjet Initiative is aligned with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, which seeks to develop sustainable energy sources to diversify the UAE economy and increase workforce opportunities for Emiratis. -- For the first time ever in the
January 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo to Supply Biofuel for Alaska Airlines Commercial Flight
by Steve Wilhelm (Denver Business Journal) Alaska Airlines says it will will partner with Gevo Inc., a leading maker of plant-based jet fuel, as the Seattle-based airline progresses from previous demonstration flights using Gevo's aviation biofuel to commercial flight sometime
January 08, 2016 Read Full Article
“High Confidence Level” as Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel Closes in on Historic ASTM Approval
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As ASTM technical balloting is underway and as experts sift through and request revised submissions of technical data, insiders are pointing to an early 2016 approval for Gevo’s renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel. In Washington, CAAFI Executive Director
December 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Port of Seattle Partners with Alaska Airlines and Boeing on Plan to Supply Sustainable Aviation Biofuel at Sea-Tac Airport
(PR NewsWire) The Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines [NYSE: ALK] and Boeing [NYSE: BA] are partnering to move toward a significant environmental goal: powering all flights by all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with sustainable aviation biofuel. Sea-Tac is the
December 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Tribal Partnerships Fuel Sustainable Aviation
by Stephanie Pearl (US Department of Agriculture) Alaska Airlines will conduct a demonstration flight in 2016 using 1,000 gallons of jet fuel made from forest scraps. The aviation biofuel was derived from twigs and small branches that would otherwise have been
November 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Neste and Boeing to Lead the Industry on Commercialization of Renewable Aviation Fuels
(Neste) Neste, the leading producer of renewable diesel and Boeing, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer will work together to promote and accelerate the commercialization of renewable aviation fuel. The companies will work toward American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
November 11, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels Still Have to Solve Economic Conundrum
by Thierry Dubois (AIN Online) Biofuels for aviation are still facing multiple challenges, the greatest being finding ways to make production economical, according to a report jointly released in September by the French Académie des Technologies and Académie de l’Air
November 09, 2015 Read Full Article
Neste and Boeing to Lead the Industry on Commercialization of Renewable Aviation Fuels
(Neste/Globe Newswire) Neste, the leading producer of renewable diesel and Boeing, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer will work together to promote and accelerate the commercialization of renewable aviation fuel. The companies will work toward American Society for Testing and Materials
November 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Merging Refinery Tech with Biofuels: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to Honeywell’s UOP
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Honeywell’s UOP has developed a renewable jet fuel processing technology, a renewable diesel process, as well as a joint venture, Envergent Technologies, that will market technologies and equipment for generating power, transportation fuel and heating
October 30, 2015 Read Full Article
The Airlines: Who’s Doing What in Aviation Biofuels?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s a Major Player, who’s a Pioneer, who’s committed, who’s monitoring the space as a stakeholder? We look at 45 airlines and their efforts in bringing low-carbon fuels to the marketplace. ... The activity includes participation in
October 20, 2015 Read Full Article
FAA Awards $100 Million in Next CLEEN Phase to Aid Development of Green Aircraft and Biofuel Technologies
(Green Air Online) The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has marked the launch of the second phase of its Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN II) programme by awarding $100 million to eight companies to develop and demonstrate technologies
October 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Airplanes Could Soon Be Flying on Seeds
by Anmar Frangoul (CNBC.com) In 2012 – almost 100 years since the Wright brothers made history – another historic flight took place when the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) flew what it described as, "The first civil jet powered by
September 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Alaska Airlines Partners with NARA on Alternative Jet Fuels
by Jesse Sokolow (Frequent Business Traveler) Alaska Airlines announced a new partnership with Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, or NARA, that is aimed at furthering the production and use of alternative jet fuel made from leftover tree limbs and branches after
August 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Butamax, Gevo Settle, Will Work Together on Market Development
(Gevo/Butamax/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Gevo Inc. and Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC, a joint venture between BP and DuPont, announced that they have entered into worldwide patent cross-license and settlement agreements, ending a patent dispute related to technologies for the production of
August 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Special China Report: 10 Top Advanced Bioeconomy Stories in China and Taiwan
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 10 Biggest Advanced Bioeconomy stories of the year we reported from the world’s second-biggest economic region. 1. DuPont, New Tianlong Industry Co. ink Cellulosic Ethanol pact; China’s first Advanced Renewable Fuel Project on the way In
July 20, 2015 Read Full Article
EgyptAir Plans to Launch Its First Bio-Fuel-Run Jet in a Year
(Egypt Independent) EgyptAir plans to launch its first plane run on biofuel, replacing traditional jet fuel, in one year, said Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal during a graduation project ceremony for students of the Engineering Institute of Aviation and Technology. The
July 20, 2015 Read Full Article
United Airlines Purchases Stake in Fulcrum BioEnergy with $30 Million Investment
(United Airlines/PR Newswire) Airline has opportunity to purchase at least 90 million gallons of sustainable aviation biofuel a year -- Single largest investment by a U.S. airline in alternative fuels United Airlines today announced an historic $30 million equity investment in U.S.-based
June 30, 2015 Read Full Article
Here's How Sea-Tac Airport Plans to Get Airlines to Use More Biofuel
by Steve Wilhelm (Puget Sound Business Journal) John Creighton wants Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to be the first in North America to offer biofuels fuels to all airlines. He and other members of the Seattle Port Commission are working to create financial
June 25, 2015 Read Full Article
Boeing Completes Flight Using 5% US Biodiesel
by Militsa Mancheva (SeeNews Renewables) Under the latest stage of its ecoDemonstrator 757 programme, US aerospace group Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) successfully completed on June 17 the first flight with a fuel blend containing US-made green diesel. The 757 flew from Seattle to
June 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Wood-Derived Jet Fuel to Be Used in Test Flight
(Gevo/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Gevo Inc. has announced a breakthrough to its fermentation technology that will allow it to produce isobutanol from cellulosic feedstocks such as wood waste which can then be converted into Gevo's alcohol-to-jet fuel. Gevo currently makes isobutanol from
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Alaska Airlines, WSU Partner to Advance Use of Aviation Biofuels
(Alaska Airlines/PR Newswire) Washington state's hometown airline is teaming up with the Washington State University-led Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) to advance the production and use of alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals, the tree limbs and branches that
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
The Aviation Renewable Fuels Imperative
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From remarks by Antonio De Palmas — president, Boeing Italy, at the World Bioenergy Leadership Forum ... Aviation is 2% of all 2010 CO2e emissions, expected to grow to 3.5% by 2030. We cannot accept
May 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Alaska Airlines, Gevo to Demonstrate Renewable Alcohol-to-Jet Fuel in Upcoming Flight
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Alaska Airlines ups the ante in the search for sustainable, affordable jet fuels. In Colorado, Gevo and Alaska Airlines announced a strategic alliance to purchase Gevo’s renewable jet fuel and fly the first-ever commercial flight on
May 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Hainan – China’s First Cooking Oil Powered Commercial Flight
by Mila Luleva (The Green Optimist) Hainan Airlines, China’s biggest private airline company, has completed the first for the country commercial flight, powered by biofuel from restaurant left-over cooking oil. ... The company’s Boeing 737 Next Generation, flew from Shanghai to Beijing,
March 26, 2015 Read Full Article
The Worldwide Push for Aviation Biofuels
by Keith Campbell (Engineering News) On October 19, 2004, the world’s first exclusively biofuel powered production aircraft received its certification, allowing it to be flown operationally. That aircraft was (and is) the Neiva (now Embraer) EMB-202A Ipanema crop duster. This
January 16, 2015 Read Full Article
Boeing, Embraer Open Joint Aviation Biofuel Research Center in Brazil
(Boeing) Collaboration supports Brazil’s role in developing sustainable biofuel, helps meet aviation’s environmental goals. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Embraer [BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3, NYSE: ERJ] today opened a joint sustainable aviation biofuel research center in a collaborative effort to further establish
January 15, 2015 Read Full Article
10 Biggest Bioeconomy Blockbuster Stories of 2014 (EU, Middle East and Africa)
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aviation biofuels on the rise, in the skies” tops the trend list; drop-in and cellulosic ethanol projects; M&A and cap raises, and action from strategic investors and customers dominate the headlines this year. You might know
December 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Can Brazil Get Its Ethanol Mojo Back?
by Mac Margolis (Bloomberg View) Brazilian airline Gol set out earlier this year to launch the world's first commercial flight powered partly by renewable fuel made from sugar cane. Fermenting ordinary sugar into jet fuel ended up being the easy bit.
December 22, 2014 Read Full Article
HSBC to Join Virgin Atlantic, LanzaTech Partnership for Low Carbon Jet Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In the UK, Virgin Atlantic has announced that the UK’s largest bank, HSBC, is joining its partnership with LanzaTech in preparation for a world-first flight using a ground-breaking low carbon fuel. LanzaTech is developing a revolutionary
October 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Lufthansa Conducts First European Scheduled Flight Using Sugar-Based Biofuel
(Lufthansa) Memorandum of Understanding signed with JatroSolutions GmbH on the cultivation of jatropha The Lufthansa Group has marked another milestone in its pioneering work in the testing of alternative fuels. Today, Lufthansa flight LH 190 from Frankfurt to Berlin Tegel is
September 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Airbus, KLM Complete 10 Hours Flight on Biobased Jet Fuel
(Airbus/Biomass Magazine) An Airbus A330-200 of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (flight KL767) has commenced the longest commercial flight with sustainable jet fuels ever performed by an Airbus aircraft. The aircraft took off with a 20 percent blend of sustainable fuel
July 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Delta Signs with Carbon War Room to Advance Renewable Jet Fuel
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Delta Air Lines is partnering with the Carbon War Room, a nonprofit organization founded by Sir Richard Branson, in an effort to accelerate low-carbon jet fuel production worldwide. This is part of the global carrier’s commitment
June 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Total and Amyris Renewable Jet Fuel Ready for Use in Commercial Aviation
(Amyris/MarketWatch) Renewable Jet Fuel Developed by Total & Amyris Meets Newly Updated ASTM Standard for Jet A/A1. With the newly revised ASTM standard for jet fuel, Amyris and Total (cac:TOTF.PA) today begin to prepare to market a drop-in jet fuel that
June 16, 2014 Read Full Article
Pass the Mustard; Why Carinata Is Taking Root as Biofuel
by Don Konantz (Calyx Bio-Ventures/R&D Magazine) ... The “Holy Grail” of non-food feedstocks has arrived with a proprietary non-food energy feedstock crop called carinata which yields oil that is being refined into fuel that meet the specifications of petroleum-based fuels and work
April 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Media Invited to California Briefing, Tour Highlighting Alternative Jet Fuel Research
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration/PR NewsWire/Yahoo!News) An HU-25C jet from NASA's Langley Research Center will be in California next month as part of a flight test to assess biofuel and other jet fuel alternatives. News media representatives are invited to
April 17, 2014 Read Full Article
Can Warplanes Fly Farther, Carry More Weapons, with Advanced Biofuels? More New Data.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... A China Lake-based research team finds terpene fuels that add 13% to the performance, compared to fossil fuels. We take a look at the new breed of renewable fuels — with a Q&A to explore
April 14, 2014 Read Full Article
NASA Signs Agreement with German, Canadian Partners to Test Alternative Fuels
(National Aeronautics and Space Administration/PRNewsWire) NASA has signed separate agreements with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to conduct a series of joint flight tests to study the atmospheric effects of emissions from jet engines burning alternative
April 10, 2014 Read Full Article
Gevolution 2014: Gevo’s Forward Progress, and Some Side-by-Side
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As Gevo reports its 4Q results and adds back some ethanol production, we look at the short-term gains and the long-term implications. Why ethanol, why now — what’s the latest news mean from this signature
March 28, 2014 Read Full Article
100% Drop-In Aviation Fuels Are Closer, as Blue Sun Demo Plant Goes 24/7 in Missouri
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... This week, Blue Sun Energy, ARA, and Chevron Lummus Global achieved a key development milestone with their 100 barrel/day (4,200 gallon/per day) demonstration-scale Biofuels ISOCONVERSION facility in St. Joseph, Mo. Less than a year after
March 25, 2014 Read Full Article
BRICS and Mortar: The Fast-Growing BRIC Economies Take Aim at Aviation Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brazil, Russia, India and China — and throw in South Africa for a complete BRICSA set. The vaunted new economic engines for the 21st century — and, lately, home to a beehive of activity around drop-in,
March 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Boeing Joins New BIOjet Abu Dhabi Team to Grow Biofuel Supply Chain in United Arab Emirates
(Boeing/PR NewsWire) - Collaboration focuses on research, feedstock production and refining capability - Announcement follows Etihad 777 biofuel demonstration flight in Abu Dhabi Boeing [NYSE: BA], Etihad Airways, Takreer, Total and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology today announced they
January 20, 2014 Read Full Article
Gevo Biofuel Produced in Luverne, Minn., Passes Army Helicopter Test
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Gevo Inc., which produces an alternative alcohol in a former ethanol plant in Luverne, Minn., said Monday that the Army has successfully flown a Black Hawk helicopter using a 50-50 blend of jet fuel and
December 26, 2013 Read Full Article
GE Aviation Pursues Alternative Fuel Sources For Testing
(Aviation Pros/GE Aviation) A 10-year agreement calls for GE’s baseline commitment of 500,000 gallons of cellulosic synthetic biofuel annually. GE Aviation, which consumes more than 10 million gallons of jet fuel annually at its engine testing centers, will broaden its fuel
November 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Abu Dhabi Institute Aiming to Produce Aviation Fuel from Plants
(Biofuels International) Scientists at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology have acquired 200 hectares of coastal land in the Western Region to set up a demonstration farm with aims to start producing sustainable jet fuel from plants. The Integrated Seawater Energy
October 31, 2013 Read Full Article
Amyris to Enter Partnership to Supply Renewable Jet Fuel to GOL Airlines
(Amyris/MarketWatch) Leading Airline in Brazil Seeks to Use Amyris's Sugarcane-Derived Jet Fuel Following Industry Validation and Regulatory Approvals Amyris, Inc. AMRS -0.04% , a leading renewable fuels and chemicals company, and GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (bm&fbovespa:GOLL4)GOL -0.54% , the largest low-cost and low-fare airline in
October 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™ Powers First Commercial Biofuel Flight In Colombia
(AviationPros.com/Honeywell) One of the aircraft's two engines was powered by a 30/70 blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel and petroleum-derived jet fuel. UOP LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, announced today that Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™ produced using Honeywell’s UOP Renewable
October 18, 2013 Read Full Article
LAN Celebrates Second-Generation Biofuel Flight
by Maryanne (Airline Fleet Management) LAN as flown Columbia's first flight using second-generation biofuel. It operated an A320 between Bogota and Cali using fuel from a plant called (camelina) ... LAN flew its first camelina biofuel flight between Santiago and Concepcion, South
August 26, 2013 Read Full Article
China's Self-Developed Biofuel Test Flight Successful
(China Daily) Sinopec, China's top oil refiner, announced the success of the first test flight powered by the company's newly developed aviation biofuel product on Wednesday. An Airbus A320 owned by China Eastern Airlines landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at
April 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Aviation Biofuels: “Are You Getting on Board?” Lufthansa Remarks
by Aino Siirala (Advanced Biofuels USA) In his presentation at DOE’s Biomass 2012, Joachin Buse (Vice President Aviation Biofuels, Lufthansa German Airlines) claimed that aviation biofuels have the strongest impact on mitigation of climate change. He illustrated that it is technically