Collaboration to Drive Commercial Use Of Sustainable Aviation
Fuels
Boeing, along with the Airports and
Auxiliary Services agency (ASA), an arm of Mexico’s Ministry
of Communications and Transport, and Honeywell’s UOP
announced on Thursday a collaboration to identify, research and
further the development of a commercially viable market for
Mexico-sourced sustainable aviation biofuels.
“This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration, involving key
government, private sector and academic leaders,” said Darrin
Morgan, director of Biofuel Strategy for Boeing Commercial
Airplanes. “Working together, we are assessing the potential
for large-scale production of aviation fuels made from sustainable
biomass systems such as halophytes, algae, jatropha, castor and
other so-called next-generation biomass-for-energy
systems.”
ASA, which is responsible for all fuel management and airplane
refueling operations in Mexico, together with Boeing made the
announcement on the eve of the annual ALTA Aviation Leaders Forum,
a gathering of more than 400 senior airline and aviation industry
executives.
“We have a holistic view of the entire supply chain and
are in an ideal position to push a collaborative framework forward
and otherwise serve as a catalyst for progress,” said
Alejandro Rios, director of Fuel Services for ASA.
Today’s announcement builds on meetings in September
with more than 50 government and business representatives in
Mexico. Based on strong stakeholder enthusiasm, ASA, Boeing and UOP
agreed to commission initial studies on promising biomass systems
for Mexico and to formalize this collaboration with a commitment to
work via the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, a global
multistakeholder initiative developing a global biofuel
sustainability framework.
Halophytic plants, which can be highly productive sources of
biomass energy, will be the first research target. Halophytes
thrive in arid land and can be irrigated with seawater waste
streams from aquaculture, making halophytes potentially suitable
for biofuels development in arid ecosystems with little competing
land use potential. With improved plant science and agronomy, early
testing results indicate halophytes also have the potential to
deliver very high yields per unit of land.
Boeing, UOP and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology
in Abu Dhabi recently announced the first comprehensive,
peer-reviewed assessment of halophytes, and Mexico will be a key
contributor through this broader effort. Study elements will
include evaluating aquaculture management and practices, assessing
land use and energy requirements and identifying any potential
adverse ecological or social impacts associated with using
halophytes for energy development, specifically for aviation
biofuels.
"Partnerships like this one are the key to a better
understanding and, ultimately, commercial use of renewable aviation
fuels,” said Jennifer Holmgren, UOP general manager for
Renewable Energy & Chemicals. “There is great potential
here to identify and implement a sustainable supply chain for the
production of aviation biofuels.”
A successful study outcome will give ASA the opportunity to
better understand the potential bioderived sources that can be
produced in Mexico and converted into a sustainable aviation fuel
supply. The results are expected to be available in late 2010.
“ASA aims to be a catalyst to jump-start the production of
bio jet fuels in Mexico, enabling our country to become a leader in
the development and commercialization of aviation biofuels
worldwide,” said General Director of ASA Gilberto
López Meyer.
Sustainable biofuels are a key component of aviation’s
strategy for lowering carbon emissions. These advanced-generation
biofuels are derived only from plant sources that do not distort
the global food chain, compete with fresh water resources or lead
to unintended land-use changes.
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