The House and Senate Armed Services Committees finalized the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA) yesterday and today Congress stood behind the military by passing the Act without including controversial proposals that would have banned the Department of Defense from expanding its use of advanced biofuels. In response to the passage, Jim Greenwood, CEO and president of the Biotechnology …
Algae. Tec Facility Continues to Attract Attention
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and Member for Eden-Monaro Dr Mike Kelly recently visited Alage.Tec facility in Shoalhaven (Australia). The plant is proving out technology that produces low cost, high grade algae-based biofuels. While on site, Dr. Kelly was briefed about the technology by company representatives. One element with great promise is the fact that algae “eat” carbon to grow. In …
Senate Approves Military Biofuels Use
The U.S. Senate has repealed a provision in the defense department budget that would have prevented the military from developing the use of biofuel alternatives. A coalition of organizations representing military biofuels supporters welcomed the news that will allow the Department of Defense “to continue research and testing of fuels that provide U.S. forces with enhanced military capability.” The Senate …
Civilian Jet Powered by 100% Biofuel
On Monday, October 29th, a jet was powered by a 100 percent renewable biofuel produced by Applied Research Associates (ARA) and Chevron Lumas Global (CLG). The two companies partnered with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Agrisoma Biosciences to to test and analyze the ReadiJet drop-in jet fuel during flight that …
Boeing, COMAC Kick of Biofuels Project
Hangzhou Energy Engineering & Technology, Co., Ltd., (HEET) will conduct the first research project at the newly formed Boeing-COMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Center. HEET will focus on ways to convert waste cooking oil into sustainable aviation biofuels. The center was created by Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) and opened in August at COMAC’s new Beijing Aeronautical Science …
Navy: Biofuel Technology is Here
According to an article on Military.com, biofuel technology has arrived. While several legislators fight to stop the military from pursuing the use of biofuels, Secretary Ray Mabus says the Navy will continue to develop biofuel technology for use in its ships and aircraft. During a luncheon on October 9th, Mabus said the technology is already here. Research shows that between …
Algae Aviation Facility Lands in Europe
Lufthansa and Algae.Tec have created a partnership to construct a large scale algae to aviation biofuels production facility. The facility will be located adjacent to an industrial CO2 source. Lufthansa will arrange 100 percent funding for the project and has committed to a long-term offtake agreement of at least 50 percent of the crude oil produced at an agreed upon …
ReadiJet Fuel Ready for the Skies
ReadiJet Fuel, a drop-in renewable fuel for aviation use, is ready to fly the skies. Developer Applied Research Associates (ARA) along with Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), are partnering with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to evaluate the fuel in flight. The fuel, produced under contract to AFRL, was produced by ARA …
SAFUG Gains New Member
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) has added a new member – United Airlines. The group’s goal is to accelerate the development and commercialization of aviation biofuels. The members of SAFUG represents nearly 32 percent of commercial aviation fuel demand, and upon joining, commit to testing and using aviation biofuels. United Airlines has been one of the leaders of the adoption …
New Investments to Drive Biofuels Innovations
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy Wednesday announced a $41 million investment in 13 projects designed to drive more efficient biofuels production and feedstock improvements. “If we want to develop affordable alternatives for oil and gasoline that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we need investments like these projects to spur innovation in bioenergy,” said Agriculture …