The US Air Force last week tested a 50-50 blend of camelina-based jet fuel and traditional jet fuel in an A-10C Thunderbolt II.
The 90-minute flight out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, marked the first time that any aircraft has been powered by conventional and biomass-based fuel in all engines.
Sustainable Oils produced the camelina-based fuel.
In October 2009, Sustainable Oils received a contract from the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) to supply camelina-based jet fuel to the Air Force. The contract was for 100,000 gallons of HRJ-8 beginning 2009 through 2010, and includes an option to purchase an additional 100,000 gallons between June 2010 and December 2012. The Air Force plans for a second feasibility demonstration this summer using an F-15 Eagle to test performance parameters. A C-17 Globemaster III will be tested because of the amount of fuel it consumes and an F-22 Raptor test is planned because of the aircraft’s complexity. The latter two tests are scheduled to occur later this year.
“The Air Force is committed to reducing our reliance on foreign oil,” said Terry Yonkers, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics at the conclusion of the test flight. “Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption.”
Camelina was selected for initial testing by the military because it does not compete with food crops, has been proven to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80%, and has already been successfully tested in a commercial airline test flight. In addition, camelina has naturally high oil content, is drought tolerant and requires less fertilizer and herbicides. It can be grown in rotation with wheat, and it can also grow on marginal land.
The camelina for the contract and historic test flight was primarily grown in 2009 and harvested in September 2009 by farmers in Montana.
Sustainable Oils is also providing camelina oil to Seattle-based AltAir Fuels, which will refine renewable jet fuel for 14 airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Sustainable Oils’ camelina breeding program began in 2005 and has steadily expanded to include more than 140 trials across North America from 2005-2009. The company is also evaluating more than 90 breeding populations of camelina to analyze agronomic and oil qualities and to develop new high-yielding varieties. Sustainable Oils leverages biotechnology resources from its Seattle-based agricultural biotech parent company Targeted Growth.
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Biofuels market researchers at Biomass Advisors projected that one billion gallons of Camelina biofuel will be produced for the aviation and biodiesel sectors by 2025, creating 25,000 new biofuels jobs–producing over $5.5 billion in new revenues and $3.5 billion in new agricultural income for U.S. and Canadian farmers.
The projections are contained in "Camelina Aviation Biofuels Market Opportunity and Renewable Energy Strategy Report,"available at the link below.
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