Introduction and Guidance
Biofuels – providing environmental benefits
Lifecycle emissions from fossil fuels
Lifecycle emissions from biofuels
Global Biofuels Mandates
Public Policy-Driven Demand for Biofuels by 2020
Second-generation biofuels for aviation
Key advantages of second-generation biofuels for aviation
Overall Next-Generation Facilities Capacities: Evolution between 2010 and 2011 (millions of gallons)
Technical Challenges
FT synthetic fuels (S-8 and S-5, synthetic replacements
of JP-8 and JP-5) also have very good freezing qualities
Production Challenges
Hydrogen Balance: One Problem
The Imbalance of Hydrogen
1. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
Bio-Aviation Fuels
Issues, Trends and Challenges
By Gerard B. Hawkins
Executive Director
RENALT ENERGY
2. Biofuels
In the early days of the jet age, speed and luxury were the
drivers of intercontinental travel.
Today, our engines are at the cutting edge of efficiency. Our
aircraft are more aerodynamic and lighter than ever before. We
are making huge improvements in our air traffic control
efficiency, how we fly our aircraft and in developing more
environmentally-friendly operations at airports.
But we are still using the same fuel. That’s about to change.
Introduction and Guidance
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
3. Biofuels
The world is turning to governments and business to reduce
the human impact on climate change. And the aviation
industry is about to embark on a new journey.
Sustainable biofuels are crucial to providing a cleaner
source of fuel to power the world’s fleet of aircraft and help
the billions of people who travel by air each year to lower the
impact of their journey on our planet..
Introduction and Guidance
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
4. Biofuels - Aviation
Biofuels provide the aviation industry with the
capability to partially, and perhaps one day fully,
replaces carbon-intensive petroleum fuels.
Developing sustainable biofuels for aviation will:
• provide the aviation industry with an alternative to
petroleum-based fuels;
• enable the industry to reduce its carbon footprint by
reducing its greenhouse gas emissions;
• allow it to draw upon a variety of different fuel
sources;
• be easier to implement than for other transport
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
5. Biofuels - Aviation
However, there are
emissions produced during
the production of biofuels,
from the equipment needed
to grow the crop, transport
the raw goods, refine the fuel
and so on.
Biofuels – providing environmental benefits
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
6. Biofuels - Aviation
Relative to fossil fuels, sustainably produced biofuels
result in a reduction in CO2 emissions across their lifecycle.
Carbon dioxide absorbed by plants during the growth of the
biomass is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon
produced when the fuel is burned in a combustion engine –
which is simply returning the CO2 to the atmosphere. This
would allow the biofuel to be approximately carbon neutral
over its life cycle.
Biofuels – providing environmental benefits
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
7. Biofuels - Aviation
When these elements are accounted for, biofuels are still
anticipated to provide an estimated 80% reduction in overall
CO2 lifecycle emissions compared to fossil fuels.
For example, analysis of camelina feedstock use for aviation
has shown even better results, with an 84% reduction in
lifecycle emissions.
Biofuels – providing environmental benefits
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
8. Biofuels - Aviation
Furthermore, biofuels contain
fewer impurities (such as
sulfur), which enables an
even greater reduction in
sulfur dioxide and soot
emissions than present
technology has achieved..
Biofuels – providing environmental benefits
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
9. Biofuels - Aviation
Lifecycle emissions from fossil fuels
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
10. Biofuels - Aviation
Lifecycle emissions from biofuels
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
11. Biofuels - Aviation
Global Biofuels Mandates
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
12. Biofuels - Aviation
Public Policy-Driven Demand for Biofuels by 2020
Policies in place
to support
biofuels continue
to be aggressive
and progressive,
particularly in the
U.S. and Europe. The figure above shows biofuels mandates that either
are implemented or will be by year.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
13. Biofuels - Aviation
Second-generation biofuels for aviation:
• use a sustainable resource to
produce a fuel that can be
considered as a replacement for
traditional jet fuel, while not
consuming valuable food, land and
water resources;
• can be mass grown in locations
almost worldwide, including in
deserts and salt water;
.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
14. Biofuels - Aviation
Second-generation biofuels for aviation:
• include bio-derived oil, sourced
from feedstocks such as jatropha,
camelina, algae and halophytes;
• have the potential to deliver large
quantities of greener fuel for
aviation at more stable prices
although aviation will not rely on
just one type of feedstock.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
15. Biofuels - Aviation
Key advantages of second-generation
biofuels for aviation
• Environmental benefits: sustainably produced biofuels result in a
reduction in CO2 emissions across their lifecycle.
• Diversified supply: second-generation biofuels offer a viable
alternative to fossil fuels and can substitute traditional jet fuel, with a
more diverse geographical fuel supply through non-food crop
sources.
• Economic and social benefits: sustainable biofuels provide a
solution to the price fluctuations related to fuel cost volatility facing
aviation. Biofuels can provide economic benefits to parts of the
world, especially developing nations, that have unviable land for food
crops that is suitable for second-generation biofuel crop growth.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
16. Biofuels - Aviation
Jatropha is a plant that produces seeds
containing inedible lipid oil that can be used to
produce fuel.
Each seed produces 30 to 40% of its mass in
oil. Jatropha can be grown in a range of
difficult soil conditions, including arid and
otherwise non-arable areas, leaving prime land
available for food crops.
The seeds are toxic to both humans and
animals and are therefore not a food source.
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Jatropha
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
17. Biofuels - Aviation
Camelina is primarily an energy crop, with
high lipid oil content.
The primary market for camelina oil is as a
feedstock to produce renewable fuels. The
left over “waste” from the oil extraction can
also be used as feed for chickens in small
proportions.
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Camelina
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
18. Biofuels - Aviation
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Camelina
Camelina is often grown as a rotational crop
with wheat and other cereal crops when the
land would otherwise be left fallow
(unplanted) as part of the normal crop
rotation program. It therefore provides
growers with an opportunity to diversify their
crop base and reduce mono-cropping
(planting the same crop year after year),
which has been shown to degrade soil and
reduce yields.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
19. Biofuels - Aviation
Algae are potentially the most
promising feedstock for producing
large quantities of sustainable aviation
biofuel.
These microscopic plants can be
grown in polluted or salt water, deserts
and other inhospitable places. They
thrive off carbon dioxide, which makes
them ideal for carbon capture
(absorbing carbon dioxide) from
sources like power plants.
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Algae
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
20. Biofuels - Aviation
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Algae
One of the biggest advantages of algae
for oil production is the speed at which
the feedstock can grow. It has been
estimated that algae produces up to 15
times more oil per square kilometer
than other biofuel crops.
Another advantage of algae is that it
can be grown on marginal lands that
aren’t used for growing food, such as
on the edges of deserts.
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
21. Biofuels - Aviation
Halophytes are salt marsh grasses and
other saline habitat species that can grow
either in salt water or in areas affected by
sea spray where plants would not
normally be able to grow.
Second-Generation Biofuel feedstock: Halophytes
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
22. Biofuels - Aviation
Overall Next-Generation Facilities Capacities: Evolution between 2010 and 2011
(millions of gallons)
Next-Generation Biofuels Technology
RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
25. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
Alternate fuels include synthetic,
bio- derived renewables, and
more challenging fuels such as
hydrogen.
26. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
FT synthetic fuels (S-8 and S-5, synthetic replacements
of JP-8 and JP-5) also have very good freezing qualities
27. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
FT fuels exhibit high life-cycle CO2 emissions
29. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
Production Challenges
Two Major Production Challenges
The Hydrogen Balance Problem
Biomass Logistics
30. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
Hydrogen Balance: One Problem
Biomass contains roughly 5% hydrogen
Aviation fuels contain roughly 15% hydrogen
The extra hydrogen comes form two routes (for
thermochemical processes):
Steam reforming of methane (natural gas)
Water gas shift reaction
Note: The question applies to companies with biological
routes, too!
31. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
The Imbalance of Hydrogen
Biomass Composition:
Carbon ~ 45 -50%
Hydrogen ~ 5 – 6%
Oxygen ~ 45 – 50%
Aviation Fuels:
Carbon ~ 85%
Hydrogen ~ 15%
Oxygen ~ 0%
32. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
"RENALT ENERGY" - providing integrated solutions to
"Green" petrochemicals, integrated Bio-Refining /conventional oil
Refining, and Biomass-to-chemicals, primarily through Energy and
Process Consultancy.
Biomass-to-"Green" chemicals: Biomass-to-chemicals refers to the
process of producing chemicals from Biomass. The major Biomass -
to-chemicals processes utilized in worldwide, with our strategic focus
on, Biomass-to-methanol, MTO and MTP processes that produce the
same chemical products, such as ethylene and propylene, as the
petrochemical facilities, due to better cost efficiencies and greater
demand for these chemicals.
33. RENALT ENERGY
Renewable and Alternative Energy for the New Millennium
We also have interest in, Biomass-to-olefins, Biomass-to-
PVC, Biomass to-aromatics and Biomass-to-ammonia/urea
processes.
We provide a broad range of integrated services spanning the
project life-cycle from feasibility studies, consulting services,
provision of proprietary technologies, design, engineering,
and after-sale technical support.
www.renaltenergy.com