7.1.2011 (Flightline)
by Anne Wright
Pioneering new green fuel technology that could drive down emissions and power
airport vehicles of the future will be unveiled at London Stansted this spring.
The airport will be the first UK company to test a new hydrogen refuelling system
(HFuel) and two specially adapted vehicles as part of ITM Power’s nationwide Hydrogen
On Site Trials programme (HOST).
Dr Andy Jefferson, Stansted Airport’s head of health, safety and environment,
said: "Environmental management at London Stansted is critical to the sustainability
of our business and is an issue that we take extremely seriously, so we’re delighted
to be working with ITM Power and launch their ground-breaking Hydrogen On Site
Trial project at the airport.
"We are extremely proud of the fact that air quality levels at Stansted are lower
than the limits set by the EU. It is by continually focusing on our environmental
performance that we will be able to maintain and improve those levels further.
The project with ITM is a key part of this strategy and by working in partnership
with them, we can evaluate whether hydrogen is a viable alternative fuel for airport
vehicles."
The HOST program provides each partner with a one week free trial of the HFuel
system and two Transit vans. The results are expected to play a key role in demonstrating
the potential and development of ITM Power’s hydrogen fuel technology.
Dr Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power, added: "HOST will be the largest multi-sector
trial of hydrogen refuelling for transport in the UK, involving 20 major partner
organisations. Airports are perfect locations for trialling return to base hydrogen
refuelling and we are delighted that London Stansted airport will be the location
from which we launch the HOST program."
Stansted’s testing programme will begin on March 7, with a special launch event
taking place at the airport’s Hilton Hotel on the March 8. During the trial, hydrogen
produced by the on-site HFuel system will power the two Ford Transit vans. These
vehicles will form part of the airport’s fleet and will be assessed by staff under
every-day driving conditions.
However, unless hydrogen is produced from renewable sources, it does not produce
less CO2 than conventional fossil fuels overall:
” … steam reformation of natural gas is far from a zero-emissions solution,
undermining the whole rationale of hydrogen cars in the first place. According
to America’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, producing a kilogram of hydrogen
by steam reformation generates emissions equivalent to 11.9kg of CO2. Given that the Chevy Equinox fuel-cell vehicle can travel 39 miles on a kilogram
of hydrogen, and the FCX Clarity can travel 68 miles, powering these cars using
hydrogen produced by steam reformation would result in emissions of 305 and 175
grams of CO2 per mile respectively. By comparison, today’s petrol-electric Toyota Prius hybrid
produces tailpipe emissions of around 167 grams per mile, and many small petrol
cars achieve similar results.”
Posted: Saturday, January 8th, 2011. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
3.1.2011 (Sydney Morning Herald)
by Matt O’Sullivan
FOOD scraps and grass clippings could one day help fuel Qantas passenger jets.
But the airline has confirmed that its plans to convert rubbish into biofuel
does not include harnessing the other, less appealing, form of human waste.
Qantas has taken its most tangible step towards reducing its carbon emissions
by signing a deal with a US fuel producer, Solena, to consider constructing a
trial plant near Sydney Airport to turn waste into biofuel.
The airline said it expected to complete a feasibility study for the waste-based
aviation fuel plant within a year. Should it become feasible, the biofuel will
be trialled on aircraft.
The waste considered as potential sources of biofuel includes food scraps, packaging
and tree cuttings.
Qantas has been investigating the possibility of fuelling planes with biofuel
for several years but the latest memorandum of understanding with Solena will
kick-start its efforts to find alternative sources. The airline spends about $3
billion a year on jet fuel.
”While we are still in the early stages of this project, the possibilities are
exciting. We hope to announce further details soon,” a spokeswoman, Olivia Wirth,
said.
Solena formed a joint venture with British Airways in February to build a £200
million ($305 million) plant in London by 2014 to turn up to 500,000 tonnes of
waste a year into 73 million litres of jet fuel. This would be enough to fuel
about 2% of BA’s aircraft based at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Qantas said it was too early to say what a waste-based fuel plant would cost
but it is likely to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. It is also
talking to other companies about its options for biofuel.
The airline’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, is among 18 business leaders who sit
on the federal government’s business advisory committee on climate change.
Qantas, Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand are members of the global Sustainable
Aviation Fuel Users Group, whose goal is to fast-track the commercialisation of
sustainable aviation biofuels.
Air New Zealand has also trialled the use of a blend of jet fuel and jatropha
oil in an engine of a Boeing 747-400.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/leftovers-on-the-menu-for-jet-fuel-20110103-19dwo.html
see also
Qantas, Solena Group to partner in aviation biofuels effort
3.1.2011 (Biofuels Digest)
In Australia, Qantas and Solena Group have announced that they expect to finalize
a partnership in the next two weeks to determine the feasibility of a Fischer-Tropsch
based biofuels plant in Australia that will produce aviation biofuels from waste.
Early last year, Solena inked a $309 million partnership with British Airways
to construct a 16 million gallon aviation biofuels demonstration plant in East
London. The London project would utilize up to 500,000 tonnes of waste as feedstock
for the project. ( link )
According to Qantas and Solena, the partners expect to complete a business case
by year-end – as airlines struggle to determine the most cost-effective means
of coping with new EU regulations on aviation carbon emissions that will take
effect in 2012 under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
According to a report in the Guardian, Solena is also negotiating at an early
stage with Lufthansa, and for a Dublin-based project with a coalition of airlines
including easyJet, Ryanair and Aer Lingus – with a prospective price tag of $309
million per project.
More on the story.
The Digest’s Take:
A breathtaking expansion of the potential investment and user base for aviation
biofuels. It also confirms that carbon regulations drive investment interest from
obligated parties, and provides a boost for the supporters of Fischer-Tropsch
technologies, which have struggled for years with a reputation of being too capital-intensive
in order to manufacture biofuels at commercially feasible per-gallon costs – with
costs of $600-$1 billion per commercial-scale project previously touted as target
construction costs.
The move by Solena and Qantas has also broadened the geography of aviation biofuels,
which had primarily been confined to interest in Europe and the US, although Air
China, PetroChina and Boeing had made strong preliminary moves towards opening
up East Asia for aviation biofuels, and Air New Zealand had successfully tested
aviation biofuels though announcing no commercial-scale biofuels purchases.
http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/01/03/qantas-solena-group-to-partner-in-aviation-biofuels-effort/
see also
Guardian 2.1.2011
Qantas on brink of £200m biojet fuel joint venture
• Australian airline hopes to slash carbon emissions
• US partner Solena will also build plant in London for BA
by Tim Webb
The Australian airline Qantas will this month announce a deal to build the world’s
second commercial-scale plant to produce green biojet fuel made from waste for its fleet of aircraft.
Its proposed partner, the US-based fuel producer Solena, is also in negotiations
with easyJet, Ryanair and Aer Lingus about building a plant in Dublin, although this project is less
advanced.
Airlines are trying to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels ahead of their entry
into the EU’s carbon emissions trading scheme in January 2012 and the introduction of other new environmental
legislation. Under the scheme, any airline flying in or out of the EU must cut
emissions or pay a penalty.
Solena’s joint venture with Qantas – which could be announced within the next
fortnight – follows a tie-up with British Airways, signed in February last year, to build the world’s first commercial-scale biojet
fuel plant in London, creating up to 1,200 jobs. link
Once operational in 2014, the London plant, costing £200m to build, will convert
up to 500,000 tonnes of waste a year into 16m gallons of green jet fuel, which
BA said would be enough to power 2% of its aircraft at its main base at Heathrow.
The waste will come from food scraps and other household material such as grass
and tree cuttings, agricultural and industrial waste. It is thought the Qantas
plant, to be built in Australia, will be similar.
Solena uses technology based on the Fischer-Tropsch process, which manufactures
synthetic liquid fuel using oil substitutes. Germany relied on this technology
during the second world war to make fuel for its tanks and planes because it did
not have access to oil supplies.
Airlines have been using synthetic fuel made in this way from coal for years,
but this results in high carbon emissions.
The use of biomass – which does not produce any extra emissions – as an oil substitute
has more recently been pioneered by Solena. The privately owned company says that
planes can run on this green synthetic fuel, without it having to be mixed with
kerosene-based jet fuel. In the UK and US, regulators allow only a maximum 50%
blend, and the fuel was only recently certified for use by the UK authorities.
BA is understood to be exploring the possibility of using 100% biojet fuel, once
it is approved as expected.
Airlines including Virgin Atlantic have also been testing biofuels – made mostly from crops, which are converted into fuel – by blending them with
kerosene-based jet fuel. But experts say these blends have to have a low level
of biofuels to ensure that engine safety and performance are maintained. In February
2008, Virgin became the first airline in the world to operate a commercial aircraft
on a biofuel blend, but this was only 20% and through just one of the plane’s
four engines.
The use of conventional, crop-based biofuels is controversial. Some environmentalists
are concerned that an increase in the farming of crops and trees for biofuels
could take up too much agricultural land and hit food production. But Solena plans
to make its biojet fuel using waste, not crops.
Industry experts say that, in the future, biojet fuel will work out cheaper than
kerosene-based fuel as oil prices rise. Producers such as Solena could also earn
subsidies by using waste materials that may otherwise have to be sent to landfill.
The Germany airline Lufthansa is also understood to be interested in a joint venture
with Solena. But with each plant costing £200m to build, it will take time to
roll out the technology.
One challenge faced by Solena is securing a supply of biomass waste for its new
plants. Ideally, facilities will be located in or near cities, where most of the
waste will be sourced, and near airlines’ bases. The bioenergy producer will face
competition from other companies planning to build incinerators, which also need
to use waste to generate subsidised electricity.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/02/qantas-biojet-fuel-joint-venture
more news on aviation and biofuels
Posted: Monday, January 3rd, 2011. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
21.12.2010 (GreenAir online)
Following the recent announcement that Lufthansa is set to become the world’s
first airline to use biofuels on commercial flights, it has emerged that Finnair
is also in discussions with the same biofuel supplier, Finland’s Neste Oil, to
become a launch user of sustainable jet fuels derived from logging waste.
According to Finnair and Neste, the two parties have been looking at areas of
cooperation for over two years and are still ongoing. Finnair said a decision has still to be made on when the first commercial biofuel
flights will take place and will depend on factors such as the availability of
biomass and when biofuel blends will be certified for commercial use.
According to Finnish broadcaster YLE, Finnair is set to become the first airline
in the world to use fuel produced from renewable sources on regular flights, although
Lufthansa made a similar claim a few weeks ago when it announced a cooperative
agreement had been signed with Neste, with the first flights following certification
that is expected at the end by the end of the first quarter of 2011.
However, Finnair believes that "first-flyer" status has not been guaranteed to
any airline by Neste and a final decision has yet to be made.
"Discussions with Finnair are ongoing and unfinished," said a Neste spokesperson.
"Thus Neste Oil has not issued any statements or press releases regarding the
issue."
A Finnair spokesperson told GreenAir Online: "Finnair is aiming to be the first airline to use biofuels on commercial flights
but unfortunately there is no guarantee for that yet. However, Finnair is also
looking for long-term cooperation with different interest groups to engage in
biofuels development work, especially regarding the use of biomass."
According to an article on the YLE website, Neste will produce jet biofuel, derived
from lard or logging waste, at its production facilities in Porvoo (Finland),
Rotterdam and Singapore. The report said airlines have demanded the new fuel should not contain palm oil
because of deforestation concerns and Finnair was especially interested in utilizing
logging waste from home forests. Neste is one of the largest users of certified palm oil in the world, which it
uses in its NExBTL renewable diesel. The company opened what it claims is the
world’s largest renewable diesel production plant in Singapore last month.
When it announced the Lufthansa agreement, Neste said the jet biofuel that would
be used by the German airline on flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt would be
a blend of 50% NExBTL jet fuel and 50% fossil-based jet fuel in one engine, while
the other engine would use conventional jet fuel.
The primary purpose of Lufthansa’s ‘burnFAIR’ project is to conduct a long-term
trial to study the effect of biofuel on engine maintenance and engine life – the
airline has world-leading aircraft maintenance facilities in Hamburg. The project
is part of an overall ‘FAIR’ initiative (Future Aircraft Research) in which other
issues – alongside biofuel compatibility – such as new engine and aircraft concepts
or other fuels are under study. The German federal government is contributing
a total of €5 million towards ‘FAIR’, of which half will be earmarked for the
‘burnFAIR’ project. Lufthansa will be investing €6.6 million.
"We know that biofuel is an issue we must address carefully," said Lufthansa
Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber, announcing the launch of the project. "We
can see the opportunities this fuel offers and give serious attention to the debate
on the requisite raw materials. But we first want to acquire experience in daily
practice in the use of biofuels. We are doing pioneering work in that no other
airline to date has operated an aircraft engine with biofuel over a longer term.
"Our fuel is sustainable. No rain forest will be deforested for Lufthansa biofuel.
In the procurement of biofuel, we ensure it originates from a sustainable supply
and production process. Our licensed suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability
of their processes."
http://www.greenaironline.com/news.php?viewStory=1016
Links:
Finnair – Corporate Responsibility
Neste Oil
YLE article
Lufthansa Pure Sky – ‘The Opportunity of Biofuels’
Related GreenAir Online articles:
Lufthansa to start industry-first scheduled passenger jet biofuel flights in
2011 in partnership with Airbus
Finnair relaunches carbon emissions calculator that it claims is the world’s
first to use actual emissions data
More on Aviation and Biofuels News
Posted: Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
29 November 2010 (German Aerospace Centre)
Bio-synthetic kerosene to be used from April 2011
At a joint press conference today, Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber,
with Peter Hinze, Parliamentary State Secretary and Government Aerospace Coordinator,
and Professor Dr. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board of the
German Aerospace Center (DLR), presented a biofuel project planned by Lufthansa.
The project is backed by the government within the framework of its aviation research
programme aimed at underpinning the sustainability of air traffic.
In April 2011, Lufthansa is to begin a six-month trial with an Airbus A321 on
scheduled commercial flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt-
Hamburg route.. Pending certification, one of the aircraft’s engines will use
a 50-50 mix of biofuel and traditional kerosene. The primary purpose of the project
is to conduct a long-term trial to study the effect of biofuel on engine maintenance
and engine life.
During the six months trial, Lufthansa will save around 1,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions, [ no details given of how they get that figure ] said Lufthansa Chief Wolfgang Mayrhuber in Berlin today. “Lufthansa will be the world’s first airline to utilise biofuel in flight operations
within the framework of a long-term trial. This is a further consistent step in a proven sustainability strategy, which
Lufthansa has for many years successfully pursued and implemented,
” said Mayrhuber.
Peter Hintze, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics
and Technology, said: “With its aviation research programme (LUFO), the Federal
Government is supporting the German aviation industry in its efforts to master
the technological challenges of establishing a safe and sustainable air traffic
system. That backing is afforded within internationally comparable framework conditions.
About 77 per cent of LUFO funding is directly or indirectly related to the environment
and sustainability. Only an integrated research approach of the like practised
in research networks, above and beyond the classical discrete disciplines, offers
the chance of achieving the ambitious climate protection objectives by 2020 and,
simultaneously, safeguarding the technological competitiveness of the German aviation
industry.”
The ‘burnFAIR’ project dedicated to the testing of biofuel, unveiled by Lufthansa today, is a successful
example of integrating research efforts for the purpose of realising climate care
objectives. This project is part of an overall “FAIR” initiative (Future Aircraft
Research), in which other issues – alongside biofuel compatibility – such as new
engine and aircraft concepts or other fuels, e.g. liquified natural gas (LNG)
are under study.
The Federal Government is contributing a total of 5 million euros towards the
‘FAIR’ initiative, of the total 2.5 million euros is earmarked for the Lufthansa
‘burnFAIR’ project.
Prof. Dr. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board of the German
Aerospace Center (DLR), dwelt on the project background at the Berlin press conference:
“Our ‘burnFAIR’ project is designed to research the long-term alternatives to
conventional aviation jet fuel. The object is to gather data on pollutants from
biofuel in comparison with conventional kerosene over a longer period. The measured
pollution pattern related to diverse stresses in flight and the composition of
the exhaust gases will allow us not only to draw conclusions about the compatibility
of biofuel but also about the maintenance needs of aircraft engines. Since, above
all, we expect a significant reduction in soot particles.”
Lufthansa is currently making intensive preparations for the practical tests.
Aside from the actual research project, the acquisition of biofuel in sufficient
volume and the complex logistics it involves is proving a challenge in the run-up
to the trial. The aircraft, for example, will be fuelled only in Hamburg. Furthermore,
an array of internal processes must be modified, since Lufthansa does not normally
deploy a plane exclusively on a single route, but always in a rotation chain on
flights to different destinations.
The project will cost Lufthansa an estimated €6.6 million. “We know that biofuel is an issue we must address carefully. We can see the
opportunities this fuel offers and give serious attention to the debate on the
requisite raw materials. But we first want to acquire experience in daily practice
in the use of biofuels. We are doing pioneering work in that no other airline
to date has operated an aircraft engine with biofuel over a longer term,” observed
Wolfgang Mayrhuber. “Our fuel is sustainable. No rain forest will be deforested for Lufthansa biofuel.
In the procurement of biofuel, we ensure it originates from a sustainable supply
and production process. Our licensed suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability
of their processes.” [but see earlier article mentioning use of palm oil link ]
Production of the bio-synthetic kerosene utilised by Lufthansa rests on the basis
of pure biomass (Biomass to Liquid- BTL). The producer is Neste Oil, a fuel refining
and marketing company from Finland. The company has years of experience in biofuel
production and has cooperated with Lufthansa for many years. Certification of
its biofuel is expected in March 2011.
The use of biofuel is one element in a four-pillar strategy aimed at reducing
overall emissions in air traffic. Ambitious environmental goals can only be achieved
in future with a combination of various measures, like ongoing fleet renewal,
operational measures such as engine washing and infrastructural improvements.
Projects dedicated to these themes are also underway under the aegis of the aviation
research programme. Thanks to new technologies, Lufthansa has improved its fuel
efficiency by 30 per cent since 1991. Average fuel consumption per passenger is
now down to 4.3 litres of kerosene over 100 kilometres.
http://www.dlr.
de/en/desktopdef
ault.aspx/
tabid-1/86_
read-27961/
see also
an earlier article, in Aviation Week 29.11.2010, said
Lufthansa will use NExBTL renewable jet fuel produced by Finland’s Neste Oil.
NExBTL is a bio-SPK produced via a hydrotreatment process from feedstocks including
palm oil, rapeseed oil and animal fat.
Neste says it is also looking at other feedstocks such as jatropha.
Elsewhere on the biofuels front we had Brazilian airline TAM’s Nov. 22 test flight
of an A320 on a 50% biofuel blend produced from jatropha by Honeywell company
UOP. And on Nov. 18, the U.S. Navy flew a Sikorsky MH-60S helicopter on a 50%
biofuel blend produced by camelina, again using UOP’s hydrotreatment process.
see also
Biofuel approval nears, Lufhansa plans service trial in spring 2011 – fuel partly
from palm oil
29th November 2010 With the aviation fuels subcommittee of standards-setter ASTM to meet next week to decide on approval of bio-jet fuels, Lufthansa has announced
plans for a 6-month in-service trail of a 50:50 mix of biofuel and conventional
kerosene using an Airbus A321. ASTM has already approved 50% blends of synthetic
paraffinic kerosenes (SPKs) produced from coal, natural gas or biomass using the
Fischer-Tropsch process. The bio-SPKs may be next, by March 2011.
Click here to view full story…
Palm Oil:
These are the two creative Kit-kat makeover video clips – against use of palm
oil devastating orangutan habitat, made by Greenpeace:
and
Posted: Tuesday, November 30th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
Palm oil will be a major component of the first commercial test flights by Lufthansa
with biofuel blends
29.11.2010 (Aviation Week) and Neste Oil Corp press release below
Posted by Graham Warwick
With the aviation fuels subcommittee of standards-setter ASTM International to meet next week to decide on approval of bio-jet fuels, Lufthansa has announced
plans for a six-month in-service trail of a 50:50 mix of biofuel and conventional
kerosene using an Airbus A321.
It will be the most thorough trial to date of long-term suitability of biofuels
and is contingent on ASTM approval of so-called “bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosenes”
(bio-SPKs) for use in aircraft in blends up to 50%. Bio-SPKs are synthetic jet
fuels produced from vegetable oil or animal fat via a hydrotreatment process.
ASTM has already approved 50% blends of synthetic paraffinic kerosenes (SPKs)
produced from coal, natural gas or biomass using the Fischer-Tropsch process.
This resulted in a new specification for jet fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons
- ASTM D7566. F-T SPKs [ Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosenes ] formed the first annexe; bio-SPKs will be next.
A ballot to approve bio-SPKs failed in June, but this was expected. Those who
voted against approval, mainly engine manufacturers, wanted more testing of different
biofuels from different feedstocks and different producers. The result was more
engine testing, to provide additional data ahead of next week’s vote.
The subcommittee meeting, in Jacksonville, Florida, is expected to approve bio-SPK
blends. If it does, the full ASTM committee is likely to approve and release the
amended D7566 specification in February or March next year. That would clear the
way for Lufthansa’s in-service trial using an A321 flying between Hamburg and
Frankfurt.
Lufthansa will use NExBTL renewable jet fuel produced by Finland’s Neste Oil.
NExBTL is a bio-SPK produced via a hydrotreatment process from feedstocks including
palm oil, rapeseed oil and animal fat.
Neste says it is also looking at other feedstocks such as jatropha.
Elsewhere on the biofuels front we had Brazilian airline TAM’s Nov. 22 test flight
of an A320 on a 50% biofuel blend produced from jatropha by Honeywell company
UOP. And on Nov. 18, the U.S. Navy flew a Sikorsky MH-60S helicopter on a 50%
biofuel blend produced by camelina, again using UOP’s hydrotreatment process.
see also
Neste Oil’s press release:
Lufthansa to begin flights in the spring powered by renewable fuel
29.11.2010 (from Neste Oil Corporation)
Lufthansa to begin flights in the spring powered by renewable fuel from Neste
Oil. Neste Oil and Lufthansa have signed a cooperative arrangement that will
see Lufthansa begin commercial flights using Neste Oil’s NExBTL renewable jet
fuel next spring. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NExBTL ]
The agreement represents a major step forward for both companies, as this is
the first time that renewable
fuel is announced to be used on normal scheduled flights.
Flights will begin after official approval has been received from the ASTM (American
Society for Testing and Materials ( http://www.astm.org ) allowing the use of jet fuel produced using Neste Oil’s NExBTL technology.
This is expected to take place in spring 2011.
Lufthansa’s flight program is part of a development project supported by the
German Ministry of Economics and Technology that in addition to Lufthansa involves
companies such as MTU and Deutsche Airbus as well
as a number of universities.
During the initial phase, flights will take place between Frankfurt and Hamburg
(Germany). The aircraft on
the route will use a blend of 50% NExBTL jet fuel and 50% fossil-based jet fuel
in one engine, while the other engine will use conventional jet fuel.
“Lufthansa and Neste Oil are leading the field in moving towards greener aviation,
and we’re very pleased to be able to announce that we will now be working together,”
says Lufthansa’s Joachim Buse, Vice
President Aviation Biofuel. “In addition to a smaller carbon footprint, renewable
jet fuel will also reduce emissions of pollutants such as SOx.”
“We’re very proud of the fact that our NExBTL technology is capable of meeting
aviation needs,” says Matti Lievonen, Neste Oil’s President and CEO. “Aviation
fuels are covered by very strict quality standards,
and our NExBTL technology has proved that it can produce a fuel meeting these
standards. Being a pioneer in this area is very positive for us, as it could
open up major business opportunities in the
future.”
Fuel quality is a critical issue in the aviation industry. Aviation fuel needs
to have a high energy content and be capable of dealing with the very cold temperatures
found at the altitudes aircraft travel. As a pure hydrocarbon with a chemical
composition identical to that of conventional jet fuel, Neste Oil’s NExBTL renewable
jet fuel meets all these requirements.
Under a target agreed by the member airlines of the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), future growth of aviation will be carbon-free from 2020, which
will require the large-scale adoption of renewable fuels. Flights to and from
EU destinations will be included in the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012
onwards. Airlines will then be required either to offset their emissions using
emission certificates or use renewable fuels. In contrast to road traffic, aviation
will not be covered by a biofuel mandate, however.
Neste Oil Corporation
Hanna Maula
Director, Corporate Communications
Neste Oil in brief [the company's own blurb]
Neste Oil Corporation is a refining and marketing company concentrating on low-emission,
high-quality traffic fuels. The company is the world’s leading supplier of renewable
diesel. Neste Oil’s refineries are located at Porvoo and Naantali in Finland and
have a combined crude oil refining capacity of approx. 260,000 bbl/d. The company
had net sales of EUR 9.6 billion in 2009, employs around 5,000
people, and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
Neste Oil is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and is featured
in the Ethibel Pioneer Investment Register. It has been awarded ‘Best in Class’
recognition for its social accountability by
the Norwegian bank, Storebrand, and is on Innovest’s Global 100 list of the world’s
most sustainable corporations. Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) has ranked
Neste Oil as the best performer in the oil
& gas sector. Further information: www.nesteoil.com.
NExBTL technology in brief
Neste Oil uses its proprietary NExBTL hydrogenization technology to produce jet
fuel from renewable raw materials such as vegetable oil and animal fat. The greenhouse
gas emissions of NExBTL renewable jet
fuel, as calculated over the fuel’s entire life cycle, are 40-80% lower than
those of fossil-based jet fuel.
NExBTL renewable diesel has been in use on the road for a number of years and
extensive tests have
shown that it can be used at up to 100% content in cars, trucks, and buses without
any problems. Neste Oil supplies the Finnish market with Neste Green diesel, which
contains a minimum of 10% renewable content.
Neste Green diesel complies with the EN590 standard and has been developed in
cooperation with leading automotive manufacturers.
Comment from an AirportWatch member:
However, it’s the main feedstock for Neste’s NExBTL hydrotreated
biofuels. Having just opened the world’s biggest biodiesel refinery
(100% palm oil) in Singapore, which could be more easily converted to
produce jet fuel than other companies’ biodiesel refineries (since
they already use hydrotreatment, the main step towards producing jet
fuels from vegetable oil), they are clearly in the best position for
becoming the first commercial supplier of aviation agrofuels.
Posted: Monday, November 29th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
24.11.2010 (Biofuels International)
Brazilian airline flies on biofuel
On 22 November an Airbus A320 was flown off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Latin
America, fuelled by a 50:50 blend of biofuel and conventional aviation fuel.
The 45-minute flight, which was conducted by Brazil’s largest airline TAM, Airbus
and engine manufacturer CFM International, used biodiesel derived from jatropha
seeds in what has been named the first experimental flight in South America using
aviation fuel.
Since February 2008 a total of six flights have been successfully flown using
a biofuel blend. Air New Zealand, Continental, Japan Airlines, KLM and Virgin Atlantic have all tested aviation biofuel from a variety of feedstocks including jatropha,
coconut oil, algae and camelina seed oil.
According to the president of TAM Libano Barroso, the airline is looking to build
‘a Brazilian platform for sustainable aviation bio-kerosene.’
Barroso defended the non-edible crop, claiming that food crop production is not
threatened by it as it ‘can be planted along pastures and food crops.’ The president
claimed that studies have shown jatropha-based biofuels to emit between 65 and
80% less carbon than traditional aviation kerosene.
http://www.biofuels-news.com/industry_news.php?item_id=2903
see also
TAM Airlines and Airbus first to fly Jatropha
TAM Airlines and Airbus first to fly Jatropha-based biofuel in Latin America
Studies show Jatropha-based biofuel could reduce carbon footprint by up to 80%
(?)
23rd November 2010 (Silo breaker)
TAM Airlines together with Airbus have conducted the first Jatropha-based biofuel
flight in Latin America, using an Airbus A320. The biofuel, processed by UOP
LLC, a Honeywell group, was a 50 percent blend of locally-sourced Brazilian Japtropha-based
bio-kerosene and conventional aviation kerosene. 20 people from TAM Airlines
and Airbus were on board the A320 powered by CFM56 engines which took off from
Galeão Antonio Carlos Jobim International airport in Rio de Janeiro. The aircraft
performed a 45 minute flight before returning to its point of origin.
“Airbus and TAM have taken an important step towards establishing an aviation
biofuel solution that is both commercially viable and sustainable, with positive
impact on the environment,” said Airbus’ President and CEO, Tom Enders. "This
flight serves as evidence of the aviation industry’s commitment to advance on
its self-imposed CO2 reduction targets: carbon neutral growth from 2020, and working
towards a 50 percent net CO2 reduction by 2050."
"This experimental flight materializes TAM’s participation in a vast project
to develop a production chain for renewable biofuel, with the purpose of creating
a Brazilian platform for sustainable aviation bio-kerosene," said Libano Barroso,
president of TAM Airlines.
Studies show that the use of biofuels made from Jatropha in aviation could reduce
the sector’s overall carbon footprint by up to 80 percent, compared with conventional
petroleum-based aviation kerosene. TAM Airlines and Airbus both support the study
and assessment of the sustainability and economic viability of implementing the
bio-kerosene value chain in Brazil.
The technical flight was approved by Airbus, the engine provider CFM International,
and was authorized by aviation authorities in Europe (the European Aviation Safety
Agency – EASA), and Brazil (National Civil Aviation Agency – ANAC).
"TAM’s young and modern Airbus fleet has one of the lowest carbon footprints
in the region, leading the way for the rest of the industry to contribute to the
cause,” Enders added.
As part of its ongoing commitment to ensure that air travel continues to be one
of the most eco-efficient means of transportation, Airbus has developed a roadmap
working towards making alternative fuel and biofuel technology a reality for aviation.
In addition to its efforts with TAM Airlines, in February 2008, an Airbus A380
aircraft successfully completed the first ever flight by a commercial aircraft
using Gas-to-Liquid (GTL), and in October 2009 Airbus and Qatar Airways undertook
the first commercial flight of 50 percent blended GTL.
Posted: Wednesday, November 24th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
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18.11.2010 (GreenAir online)
Solena Group, which is seeking to build a facility in London to convert waste
biomass feedstock into sustainable jet fuel, has signed a letter of intent with
fellow US company Rentech to negotiate a licensing deal to the use the latter’s
proprietary Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthetic fuel technology.
The GreenSky facility is due to open in 2014 and will produce around 16 million
gallons of jet fuel and 9 million gallons of bionaphtha a year when fully operational.
Solena has identified potential sites and is currently in discussions with various
funding sources to secure the finance for the project. British Airways has committed
to a minimum 10-year offtake agreement to purchase all the jet fuel produced.
Meanwhile, the airline said it has attracted interest from 18 potential suppliers
of alternative jet fuel for an engine test programme it is planning with Rolls-Royce.
GreenSky will convert more than 500,000 tonnes of waste biomass material that
would have been destined for landfill sites into synthesis gas (BioSynGas) every
year, using Solena’s proprietary plasma gasification technology. The BioSynGas
will then be processed by Rentech’s F-T technology into jet fuel. The plant will
also export more than 20 megawatts of baseload renewable power to the grid after
supplying the entire facility with clean electricity.
"Solena is delighted to have Rentech as a technology provider to what will be
Europe’s first commercial scale sustainable biojet fuel facility," said CEO Dr
Robert Do. "We welcome them to the GreenSky consortium. Rentech’s iron-based catalyst
F-T process is an ideal fit for Solena’s proprietary gasification solution.
"Bringing the two technologies together will allow us to create a truly sustainable
drop-in jet fuel with the potential to transform the aviation industry."
Solena says the facility will deliver a total reduction of over 2 million tonnes
of CO2, including 145,000 tonnes from the replacement of conventional kerosene
with its sustainable jet fuel, and claims a saving of 95% in lifecycle emissions.
Rentech is believed to have already completed a preliminary engineering study
to help facilitate the integration of its process into the project.
"Airlines will soon be included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Rentech
is one of the few companies whose synthetic fuel technology can provide solutions
to help reduce the financial and environmental impact of this legislation on the
airline industry," commented D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech.
"Renewable jet fuel is one of the only options airlines have to reduce the carbon
footprint of their fleets."
Solena says it is in the advanced stages of securing equity and investment, and
has begun preparing debt financing for the $280 million facility. The company
is looking to close all financing by the end of 2011 and start construction in
2012. It is aiming to complete construction by the end of 2013 and start delivering
jet fuel to British Airways in 2014.
Solena is looking to announce its selection of an engineering, procurement and
construction (EPC) contractor for the project and provide an update on site selection
in early 2011.
The British Airways agreement is a model that Solena says it plans to replicate
with other airlines.
"We can only say that we have a pipeline of biojet fuel projects with other European
and US airlines that are currently under discussion," said Dr Do recently. "These
facilities will be identical in design and capacity to the British Airways project."
Meanwhile, the stalled British Airways programme with aero engine manufacturer
Rolls-Royce to test alternative jet fuels appears to be back on track. When the
two companies sent out Request for Proposals (RFPs) for adequate supplies of potential
fuels two years ago there was little response. However, another attempt has yielded
over 18 fuel companies interested in supplying the required 60,000 litres of fuel
for testing.
Links:
Solena Group
Rentech
British Airways – One Destination
see also
BA and Solena plan to “create 1,200 London jobs” at biofuels plant
Date Added: 21st July 2010
BA hopes to source much of the aviation fuel needed by one or other London airport
from a waste-to-biofuels plant in east London, which will burn plastics, paper
and food leftovers – which are not recycled in a better way. Two potential locations
near Dagenham have been proposed. 200 jobs might be created at the factory. BA
hopes to buy 16 million gallons of fuel for 10 years and hopes production could
start in 2014. Solena is seeking sources of finance. Click here to view full story…
Posted: Saturday, November 20th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
Read more »
18.11.2010
(Source: US Naval Air Systems Command;
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md.
Moving closer to achieving the objective of decreasing its need for petroleum-based
fuels, the Navy flew an MH-60S Seahawk on a 50/50 biofuel blend today.
The helicopter, from the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One at NAS Patuxent
River, Md., tested a fuel mixture made from the Camelina seed, which is in the
same family of plants as the mustard seed and rapeseed. Camelina needs little
water or nitrogen to flourish and can be grown on marginal agricultural soil.
"These biofuels provide the Navy with an ‘off-ramp’ from petroleum to increased
energy security," said Rear Admiral Philip Cullom, director, Navy Task Force Energy.
Today’s tests focused on the MH-60S, one of the Navy’s newest helicopters. The
mission of the MH60S is anti-surface warfare, combat support, humanitarian disaster
relief and search and rescue, aero medical evacuation, special warfare and organic
airborne mine countermeasures.
Earlier this year, the Navy tested this biofuel blend on the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Results from those tests indicated the aircraft performed as expected through
its full flight envelope with no degradation of capability.
"We expect today’s helicopter tests will further demonstrate this fuel made from
an alternative, non-petroleum feed stock is a viable option for use in Navy aircraft,"
said Rick Kamin, the Navy Fuels lead.
According to Kamin, today’s flight is another step toward the certification of
fuels from non-petroleum sources for use in all Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.
Testing will continue across additional aircraft models in 2011 with a target
of approving the 50/50 biofuel blend for use in the Navy ships and aircraft by
early 2012.
The Navy Fuels team embarked on its current path to certify many alternative
sources for fuel more than two years ago. At the 2009 Navy Energy Forum, Secretary
of the Navy Ray Mabus committed the Navy to a goal of decreasing its reliance
on fossil fuels. The Secretary outlined five energy targets at the Forum. Closest
to home for the Navy Fuels team was the idea of demonstrating a Green Strike Group
by 2012.
"In October 2009, I issued five energy targets for my department, the most important
of which is that by the year 2020 – a decade from now – half of all the energy
we use afloat and ashore, in the air, on the sea, under the sea or on land will
come from nonfossil-fuel sources," said Mabus last month at the Energy Security
Forum held at the Pentagon.
"The most significant impact of a dependence on fossil fuels is on our people,"
Mabus said. "Getting a gallon of gasoline to a Marine at Forward Operating Base
(FOBs) in Afghanistan is not easy. Every single day, young sailors, Marines, soldiers
and airmen guard those vulnerable fuel convoys as they move from the logistics
hubs to our FOBs. Gasoline is the single thing we import the most into Afghanistan."
"We have to change the way we operate. We have to change the way we produce and
we use energy," Mabus said.
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/120163/us-navy-tests-biofuel-in-mh_60s-helicopter.html
Posted: Thursday, November 18th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
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18.10.2010 (Chicago Breaking business)
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
Boeing Co., in cooperation with Air China Ltd. and others, plans to test a commercial-jet
biofuel in China produced from a locally grown plant by the middle of 2011-part
of an effort to commercialize cleaner fuels world-wide and bolster China’s potential
as a biofuel provider.
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. The China demonstration flight, expected to be conducted by May or June next
year, would be Boeing’s sixth such demonstration flight using a biofuel, said a Boeing executive, Al Bryant, in an interview Monday with The Wall Street
Journal.
The biofuel to be used in the scheduled test flight is one based on jatropha, a thorny wild green shrub that grows well on a wide range of terrains in hot
climates such as Latin America and Africa. It is expected to be supplied by Chinese
oil company PetroChina Co., which grows jatropha in southern China for aviation use, said Bryant, vice president
of research and technology at Boeing’s China operations.
"It’s harvested here and processed here, and we test it with an airplane operated
by a Chinese airline and is going to be flown here in China," the executive said. "This flight is going to demonstrate that China has the
ability to create a new biofuel industry here in China."
Analysts say development of biofuels based on feedstocks such as jatropha looks
promising, but commercial mass production, as well as getting regulatory approvals
for the new jet fuel, still will likely take several years, if not more. Boeing argues the prohibitively expensive cost will come down.
Some pessimists also had pointed out that biofuel would freeze before a jetliner
reached cruising altitude, or that it would require punishingly costly modifications
to the aircraft engines to make it work.
Boeing says its two years of demonstration flights counter those claims. By injecting
similar additives used in petroleum-based fuel, the freezing point of biofuels
has been rendered a nonissue, and engine modifications have proven unnecessary,
Boeing says.
"We’re focused on plant-based sustainable ‘drop-in’ biofuels so that you can
fly to Chengdu, fill up with a biofuel, and fly to Australia somewhere and fill
up with a petroleum-based fuel, and you don’t have to clean the tank or drain
it or anything," Bryant said, referring to a major city in southwest China. "No
modifications to the airplane engines would be necessary. It is a drop-in solution."
Moreover, with fears that the days of petroleum are numbered, the global aviation
industry is more inclined to pursue long-term diversification of its raw materials.
Breakthroughs have also come more quickly than people anticipated.
"If we can do that - commercialize biofuels for aviation – that gives our customers
an alternative supply of fuel, and hopefully we could smooth out some of the spikes
in jet fuel prices and allow airline operators to be more financially stable,"
Bryant said.
Boeing envisions a future, he said, where the entire global aviation industry
would be supplied with plant-based biofuels that don’t compete with food for land
and water, so that a rapid adoption of biofuels by the aviation industry doesn’t
drive up food prices. That future could come as early as 2025, Bryant said.
To realize that vision, Bryant said the industry needs to make a lot of technological
breakthroughs. But one secret weapon, he said, is biofuels based on algae, which have higher levels of energy density. Boeing is conducting some of its
research-and-development efforts in China in part because the country, Bryant
said, has done some "leading-edge" research in the field.
To accelerate the research and development of such algae-based aviation biofuels,
Boeing earlier this year opened a joint research laboratory in Qingdao with a
Chinese government research institute and is looking at expanding the effort to
other labs.
"You can serve the entire aviation industry’s fuel needs by planting soybeans
in an area the size of continental Europe. Or you could plant algae and get the
same impact in an area the size of the country of Belgium," Bryant said.
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/10/boeing-to-test-china-biofuel.html
more news about aviation and biofuels
Posted: Tuesday, October 19th, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
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21.9.2010 (GreenAir online)
Airbus and British Airways are to take part in a project set up by the UK’s Cranfield
University to explore how algae can be harvested in ocean-based facilities to
produce jet fuel in commercial quantities.
A consortium called the Sustainable Use of Renewable Fuels (SURF) has been set
by the three parties, along with Rolls-Royce, Finnair, London Gatwick Airport
and IATA, to serve as an advisory and steering group to Cranfield’s Sea Green
project.
The university already has a pilot facility on campus that is growing and processing
algae for biofuels but the eventual aim is for Sea Green to set up sustainable
salt-water facilities, producing the first commercial quantities of biomass for
biofuels within three years.
The consortium aims to address five major considerations for the successful use
of renewable fuels from microalgae, including environmental impact; processing,
capacity and distribution; commercial; and legislation and regulation. Specific
studies will look at future sustainability modelling and environmental lifecycle
assessment.
Sea Green 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, says the consortium.
In addition to a "negative carbon mechanism" – meaning that net carbon is taken
out of the atmosphere – the facility will not compete with agricultural land,
require fresh water, result in deforestation or damage the environment, it claims.
[The CO2 taken out of the air is intended to be put back into the air, by burning
the fuel, so a bit of a spurious claim].
"Many biofuels compete with agricultural land and fresh water which results in
the price of food being pushed up," commented Professor Feargal Brennan, Head
of Cranfield University’s Department of Offshore, Process and Energy Engineering.
"This project and consortium will aim to see how algae could benefit the aviation
industry.
“It will look at ways to grow and harvest naturally occurring species of algae
in large volumes and to process these into fuel. Algae grows naturally in sea
water and with over 70% of the surface of the earth being water, Cranfield’s Sea
Green project is a logical and potentially high yield solution. Few replacement
options to kerosene for fuelling commercial aircraft have been identified but
jet fuel produced from algae produced in this way could be a major break-through."
Paul Nash, Head of New Energies at Airbus, said: "We see algae as one of the
most promising and sustainable solutions for commercial quantities of biofuels.
Industry initiatives like SURF demonstrate our commitment to reducing emissions."
Jonathon Counsell, Head of Environment at British Airways, said: "Sustainable
fuels will play a critical role in reducing the carbon footprint of global aviation
by 50% net by 2050, delivering substantially lower lifecycle emissions whilst
avoiding other environmental impacts."
In another partnership with Rolls-Royce, British Airways is in the process of
getting an alternative fuel engine test programme off the ground. Having previously
failed two years ago to obtain sufficient quantities of alternative jet fuels
from suppliers, the programme is now back on track, reported the engine manufacturer’s
Vice President Strategic Marketing, Robert Nuttall, at last week’s Aviation &
Environment Summit.
"We have re-energized the whole project as part of the FAA’s CLEEN programme
and we have had 30 to 40 responses," he told delegates. "We have gone from RFI
to RFP (request for proposal) and we are now actively engaged in a programme to
take the fuel beyond even where the ASTM certification process is currently.
British Airways is also involved in a project in East London with US biofuel company Solena Group that aims to produce jet fuel from municipal waste biomass that would otherwise
be destined for landfill (see story). The $280 million facility is expected to produce 16 million gallons of jet
fuel annually once the facility becomes operational, which is anticipated in 2014.
Links:
Cranfield University
Airbus – Alternative Fuels
British Airways – One Destination
Sea Green Life Cycle Assessment process chain:
http://www.greenaironline.com/news.php?viewStory=922
Posted: Friday, October 1st, 2010. Filed in Biofuels News.
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@AirportWatch