Airport Authority Partners With MSU Extension On Bioenergy
Grant Project
Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA), operator of Detroit
Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport (YIP), has
partnered with Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Office to
grow, harvest and process bioenergy crops on airport-owned
property. This strategic initiative ... the first of its kind in
the Midwest ... represents WCAA’s commitment to sustainable
aviation in part through the promotion and development of aviation
biofuels.
“How does aviation protect itself in the future against
the depletion of fossil fuels and the uncertainty of foreign
sources of energy?” asks WCAA Interim CEO Genelle M. Allen.
“Part of the answer may be to grow it.”
The AgriEnergy Technology Demonstration project is supported by
a $476,000 grant awarded by the Michigan Energy Office of the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “WCAA has been
interested in exploring the potential of developing airport-owned
property around both airports for bioenergy production for some
time,” said Allen. “If successful, this project could
attract businesses to the vicinity of the airports that would
produce alternative fuels for use in aircraft and other vehicles.
This project has possibilities for not only bringing economic
development to Southeast Michigan, but also protecting land around
our airports from further encroachment.”
Together, DTW and YIP airports have approximately 1,700 acres of
property that is potentially suitable for bioenergy cropping. As a
participant in this project, WCAA has leased to MSU Extension three
acres of airport-owned land on which biofuel crops have been
planted and will soon be harvested, refined, and tested. The crops
planted include canola and oriental mustard seed. MSU Extension
will be responsible for the overall management of the project
grant, while WCAA will provide access to and use of acreage at its
airports for a portion of the project.
In addition to airport property, the grant also includes
bioenergy sites on other types of land not traditionally used for
growing biofuel crops such as vacant urban lots and highway
right-of-ways.
To ensure the integrity of this project, a stakeholders group
with a diverse representation of the region and industry was formed
and met in January to promote the use of biodiesel and jet fuel as
an alternative fuel for aircraft and support equipment at DTW and
YIP. In addition to staff from WCAA and MSU Extension
Office, members of this stakeholder group include representatives
from Delta Air Lines, Air Transport Association of America (ATA),
Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), UOP
Honeywell, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Wayne County EDGE
Development Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development, Synergy Consulting, Michigan Department of
Transportation (MDOT), Michigan Energy Office, The Power
Alternative/Start Detroit (TPA), Genesee County Land Bank
Authority, Mid Michigan Recycling, and Shell ServisAir.
“This grant provides Michigan an opportunity to transition
into the green energy sector with the potential to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil imports and create needed jobs,”
said MSU Extension Project Manager Dennis Pennington. Pennington
also expects that through this project will be able to determine
the economic impact of growing, refining, storing, and transporting
the biomass as a “drop in” fuel alternative (compatible
with existing fuel systems).
Once refined, biodiesel can be dropped in current fuel tank
farms at the airports without modification to the fuel system in
any way. A processing plant could be constructed on or near the
airport. The locally grown biofuel crops can then be harvested,
transported to the refinery, and piped directly into the onsite
airport fuel tanks. Current accessibility to rail lines and
expressways also make it feasible to transport the product to other
facilities.
“Wayne County EDGE and Aerotropolis Development
Corporation have identified alternative energy and non-fossil fuels
as a growth sector for our area,” said Wayne County Executive
Robert A. Ficano. “Through this project, Wayne County will be
at the forefront of an exciting, emerging, technology that could
generate significant economic benefits for the region and
State.”
“With airlines and ground support vehicles at DTW using
more than one million gallons of jet fuel each day, it is both
prudent and practical for WCAA to explore alternative means such as
biofuels as a way to reduce the carbon footprint on the
environment,” said Rich Altman, Executive Director for
Washington, D.C.-based Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels
Initiative (CAAFI), who serves as a member of the stakeholders
group.
The project is expected to be completed by February 2012.