Green Jet Fuel
The following is stunning news for those of us who love to travel and even for those of us who just love the earth. An organization called the EERC has created jet fuel that is 100% renewable. That’ll save you a fortune on paying for carbon extortion charges credits. I’m going to give you the press release from Business Wire in its entirety, rather than try to explain the process myself.
The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota has achieved a major technical milestone in creating a 100% renewable domestic fuel that meets the JP-8 aviation fuel screening criteria, proving a pathway to providing energy security to the U.S. military and the entire nation.
EERC fuel samples created from multiple renewable feedstocks were tested at a U.S. government facility to evaluate key specification parameters for JP-8, a petroleum-based fuel widely used by the U.S. military. JP-8 specifications include parameters such as freeze point, density, flash point, energy content, and others; all of which were met by the EERC fuel samples.
The EERC fuel was produced under a $4.7 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The Department of Defense is the largest consumer of petroleum in America, and securing a domestic fuel source is a key operational challenge for the military. Production is now under way to produce a large fuel sample for engine testing this fall.
“This builds on a solid foundation of expertise at the EERC in the area of alternative fuel production,” said EERC Director Gerald Groenewold. “The EERC is now uniquely positioned to provide drop-in-compatible JP-8 fuel from both fossil and renewable feedstocks, providing critical strategic opportunities for the U.S. military as well as commercial aviation.”
The technology takes advantage of feedstock chemistry to reduce capital and operating expenses. The feedstock-flexible process can use various crop oils and waste greases. The process can be tailored to produce combinations of propane, gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel that are identical to petroleum-derived fuels, enabling direct substitution with existing fuels and providing renewable options across the spectrum of fuel needs.
The EERC is actively exploring partnerships with the private sector to move into full-scale production of the fuel. Preliminary negotiations are under way with feedstock suppliers and oil refineries. Talks of building a large-scale Advanced Tactical Fuels Production Complex are ongoing.
About the EERC
The EERC is recognized as one of the world’s leading developers of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies as well as environmental technologies to protect and clean our air, water, and soil. The EERC, a high-tech, nonprofit division of the University of North Dakota (UND), operates like a business and pursues an entrepreneurial, market-driven approach to research and development in order to successfully demonstrate and commercialize innovative technologies. Since 1987, the EERC has had over 1000 clients in all 50 states and 50 countries. In FY2008, more than 80 percent of its contracts were funded by nonfederal entities. The EERC’s current contract portfolio is more than $227 million. www.undeerc.org.
The above project is sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Office and is financially supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressly or implied, of the U.S. Army, DARPA, or the U.S. Government.