Jet Plains: Grasses, Woods and Mustards Hold Key for Aviation Fuels
By Scott Doggett November 11, 2009
As we've previously reported, the U.S. military is buying advanced biofuels for testing in jet aircraft.
That's because while green electrons will increasingly replace gasoline as the fuel propelling automobiles, the conventional wisdom is that aviation has nowhere to go but biofuels.
Since our last report on biofuels for jet aircraft -- a subject that interests us because biofuel development for the aircraft industry will likely generate better biofuels for automobiles -- there have been some newsworthy events in the biomass and biograss arenas that may be of interest to you.
In California, Ceres recently announced that it plans to expand an advanced trait development project to increase biomass yields of several energy grasses by as much as 40 percent in coming years, while simultaneously decreasing the use of inputs such as nitrogen fertilizers.
Projections indicate that the Ceres traits alone could displace 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 58 million tons of coal over a 10-year period. And depending on cropping practices, 1.2 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer could be eliminated (about the amount of nitrogen needed for 24 million acres of cotton), among other benefits.
The three-year project is expected to begin next month. Ceres researchers will test its advanced traits in a variety of energy grasses such as switchgrass, sorghum and miscanthus.
Also in California, ViaSpace announced it has applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Giant King" as a unique brand of grass. The company claims the grass has unique characteristics that give it enormous potential as a leading source of low-carbon renewable energy.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved cattle feed containing up to 10 percent camelina. The decision makes it possible to establish larger markets for camelina mash.
As a result, Sustainable Oils, a Montana producer of camelina-based fuels, has been awarded a contract by the Defense Energy Support Center for 40,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel.
The fuel will be delivered to the Naval Air Systems Command fuels team in 2009 and will support the Navy's certification testing program of alternative fuels. The contract includes an option to supply up to an additional 150,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel.
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