Swift Enterprises Introduces Synthetic Hydrocarbon General Aviation Fuel from Biomass

9 May 2008

Swift Enterprises Ltd. has unveiled a new patented synthetic hydrocarbon general aviation fuel—SwiftFuel—that is produced from biomass.

SwiftFuel meets or exceeds the standards for aviation fuel as verified by nationally recognized laboratories, said co-founder John Rusek, a professor in Purdue University’s School of Astronautics and Aeronautics Engineering and research director for Swift. Rusek said the fuel can provide an effective range (distance between refueling) greater than petroleum while its projected cost is half that of the current petroleum manufacturing cost.

SwiftFuel is produced from a variety of input streams and processes. Swift, which is sensitive about discussing the exact procedure, starts with biomass, extracts appropriate oxygenates, converts them to aliphatic and aromatic compounds (all pure hydrocarbons) and then mixes them. The end product is a non-food biomass-derived drop-in fuel consisting of synthetic hydrocarbons, said Jon Ziulkowski, Swift’s Principal Investigator for aviation fuels.

The general aviation industry includes all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. Data on Swift Enterprises’ synthetic renewable general aviation fuel was presented 28 April at an annual meeting of an international committee that oversees aviation fuel standards.

The aviation industry has been the only form of transportation to use leaded fuel (tetraethyl lead) since an Environmental Protection Agency ban went into effect 30 years ago. The current fuel used in piston-fired aircraft is 100 Low Lead (100LL); the lead brings the octane number in the fuel to 100. The United States and Europe have banned the use of 100LL due to the lead, but have instituted a moratorium on this ban until 2010. The general aviation industry each year uses nearly 570 million gallons of 100LL aviation fuel.

SwiftFuel is 15-20% more fuel efficient; has no sulfur emissions; requires no stabilizers; has a 30-degree lower freezing point; introduces no new carbon emissions; and is lead-free. In addition the components of this fuel can be formulated into a replacement for jet/turbine fuels.

Our fuel should not be confused with first-generation bio-fuels like E-85, which don't compete well right now with petroleum. For general aviation aircraft, range is paramount. Not only can our fuel seamlessly replace the aviation industry’s standard petroleum fuel, it can outperform it.

—John Rusek

Swift Enterprises officials are in discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has initiated a cooperative agreement with the company to evaluate the fuel.