Challenges of producing fuel enabling the first commercial airline flight from cellulosic-based alcohol to BioJet

The USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) grant to Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) has a capstone task to produce a large quantity of alternative aviation fuel for a demonstration flight. This involved the following major tasks: (a) feedstock collection/ processing, (b) feedstock pretreatment using the NARA/FPL SPORL (bisulfite) technology, (c) saccharification and fermentation to isobutanol with Gevo’s GIFT® technology, (d) catalytic conversion of isobutanol to Biojet using Gevo’s Alcohol-to-Jet technology and (e) combining the resulting Biojet with Jet A as a blended fuel and flying in a regularly scheduled Alaskan Airlines flight. A separate tolling partner with the proper facility type and size to accommodate our production had to be identified, reviewed and contracted to conduct each step of the process.  In addition, Gevo spearheaded a separate activity to gain approval of the fuel for use in commercial airline by ASTM.

This task identifies the challenges involved in production of a large quantity of renewable fuel (suitable for a significant demonstration), using a new technology, in equipment owned and operated by a diverse group, who are not dedicated toll operators and whose processes were not necessarily designed for the specific materials, processes, and objectives of this project.