First Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) test flight; Gevo provided isobutanol-derived renewable kerosene
03 July 2012
|
|
| Three pathways to renewable jet fuel: FT (left); hydrogenated oil (center); ATJ (right). Source: Gevo. Click to enlarge. |
The US Air Force (USAF) last week flew the first test flight using “alcohol-to-jet” (ATJ) fuel. (Earlier post.) Gevo, Inc., the provider of the fuel, worked with the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL), the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Division (AFCD) and the 40 Flight-Test Squadron, provided the isobutanol-derived renewable kerosene fuel for the successful flight.
Gevo produced the ATJ fuel from isobutanol at its hydrocarbon processing demonstration plant near Houston, Texas, in partnership with South Hampton Resources.
The USAF flew an A-10 Thunderbolt jet powered by a Gevo-produced blend of 50% ATJ fuel and 50% JP-8. A series of flight test maneuvers, throttle bodies, auxiliary power unit (APU) starts and engine assisted starts were performed. The A-10 is a single-seat aircraft powered by two high-bypass GE TF34 turbofan engines. A Honeywell 36-50 APU is used for engine starting and in flight emergency power generation.
Last week’s test flight represented an accumulation of more than 4,000 hours of hard work involving innovative testing, multiple players and years of research on everyone’s part. Together, we have proven that ATJ fuel is a technically viable and promising alternative for both military and commercial applications.
—Gevo President and COO Chris Ryan
Gevo, a leading renewable chemicals and next-generation biofuels company, was put on contract last year to provide the USAF 11,000 gallons of its ATJ fuel derived from isobutanol for testing by the AFCD. Gevo’s patented ATJ fuel is a drop-in fuel, deliberately designed to be fully compliant with aviation fuel specifications and provide equal performance, including fit-for-purpose properties.
The Air Force previously ran a series of engine ground tests, using the 50/50 blend of the ATJ and JP-8, said Jeffrey Braun, Division Chief of AFCD. The engineers then compared data with previous results from JP-8 baseline testing. Engine performance parameters monitored during the testing remained unchanged when utilizing the ATJ fuel blend, said Braun.
ASTM has assembled an alcohol to jet (ATJ) task force (D02J006 Alcohol to Jet TF) to investigate the requirements for this third major pathway--the conversion of alcohols—to renewable drop-in jet fuel. The first two synthetic fuel pathways approved by ASTM are gas-to-liquids and hydroprocessed oils. (Earlier post.) Gevo expects ASTM certification of its ATJ biofuel by 2013.
Gevo converts isobutanol into aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons using known chemistry and existing refinery infrastructure in a process involving the dehydration of isobutanol—which Gevo produces via fermentation—followed by oligomerization and hydrogenation. The Gevo bio-kerosene is the same as that conventionally produced from butylenes. Gevo’s value proposition is that it can cost-effectively produce and purify isobutanol to serve as the feedstock for this established process.
In its prospectus filed for its public offering, Gevo estimated the global market for ATJ to be approximately 75 BGPY, or approximately $200 billion annually.
The area of the UK already destroyed its lands and forest by use of wood for households, farming and industry before 1800. The industrial revolution required a shift to coal because the forests were almost gone. Most of the wastes proposed for use have a very high carbon footprint and there is not enough of them and all land grown products to supply the wants of all automobile owners and plane users. The CO2 can be kept out of the air by putting landfill wastes in underground salt lakes. Credit can be given for this. Charcoal can be made from some of it for enriching the soil where it is also permanently preserved. Buy the Chinese reactors with carbon pellets and make hydrogen with the high heat to make into fuel. The Japanese have restarted a reactor. The UK can buy CANDU ones quickly from its former colony, and use coal for jet fuel instead of electric generation. Heat pumps can be used instead of some natural gas. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 04 July 2012 at 03:55 AM
HG, the fallacy of all or nothing... ATJ can be part of the solution, it doesn't have to use "all land grown products to supply the wants of all airplane owners and plane users." Increased fuel efficiency, diesel use, hybrid use, all with some biofuels and ATJ can be part of the future solution.
Posted by: Chops | 04 July 2012 at 10:48 AM
This is great. They are publicly traded too.
Posted by: Dillon Whitney | 09 July 2012 at 10:59 AM