Leftover grease and fat from beef and chicken processing plants will be converted into jet fuel for the US Department of Defense under a new demonstration project.
Alternative jet-fuel supplier Syntroleum has partnered with Arkansas-based Tyson Foods for the contract to supply 1,900 litres (500USgal) of jet fuel made entirely from animal fats.
Last year, Syntroleum produced 380,000 litres of a synthetic fuel blend derived from natural gas by the Fischer-Tropsch conversion process to power a US Air Force Boeing B-52.
The company's new focus is to introduce a simpler conversion process for creating renewable fuels called "biofining," in which by-products from animal fats are cold- and hydro-treated to produce a viable energy supply for jet engines.
The initial goal is to demonstrate the validity of biodiesel-based jet fuel produced from renewable sources, such as animal processing waste products, says Syntroleum spokesman Gary Gamino.
In the long term, the company aims to make the next leap to converting all forms of biomass into jet fuel using the more sophisticated Fischer-Tropsch process.
Syntroleum needs a long-term commitment from a major customer to obtain financing to build a multi-billion dollar Fischer-Tropsch production plant.
However, biofining production can start with a $150 million investment. The trade-off is capacity, as the USA generates only 21 million tons per year of unused animal fats, while the supply of biomass products, natural gas and coal that can be converted to synthetic fuel via Fischer-Tropsch is enormous.
Both the US military and the airlines are eyeing alternatives to petroleum, but for different reasons. The DoD is primarily motivated by national security concerns about an over-reliance on a foreign-based energy supply, while airlines are seeking a cheaper and perhaps more environmentally friendly source of fuel.
The USAF, however, appears to be driving the demonstration process, with plans to certificate alternative fuels for all of its aircraft types by 2010. The military also hopes to power all jet aircraft using a 50:50 blend of oil and synthetic fuel by 2016.
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Source: Flight International