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NEWS Honeywell partners in biobased jet fuels project Honeywell Aerospace and Des Plaines, Ill.-based UOP LLC, a Honeywell International company, are partnering with Airbus SAS, JetBlue Airways and International Aero Engines to study the use of sustainable biofuels in commercial aircrafts. Renewable energy technology that would convert feedstocks to commercial aviation fuels will be developed and tested. The project will specifically focus on second-generation feedstocks such as algae, which don’t compete with food or water resources. The exact timeline for this project is still in development, said Susan Gross, communications manager for UOP. “Airbus has stated that it hopes to be testing fuel on aircraft within 24 months and have the fuel approved for use on commercial aircraft within three years,” she said. Each of the partners play a specific role in studying and understanding the use of renewable fuels on commercial airlines based on their talents and expertise, Gross said.
Airbus will test the fuel on all airframe components. UOP will develop the processes to convert the biological feedstocks to fuel, and Honeywell Aerospace will assess the performance of the fuel as it relates to the aircraft auxiliary power unit. International Aero Engines will review and approve the characteristics of the alternative fuel for use in a commercial engine application, and assess the performance and emission characteristics of the engines as they use this alternative fuel. JetBlue Airways will take all in-service operational aspects into consideration and will participate in much of the ground- and flighttesting of the fuel once all preliminary tests have been conducted with satisfactory results. “Biofuels hold tremendous potential to meet growing fuel demand while reducing life cycle greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jennifer Holmgren, director of the renewable energy
and chemicals business for UOP. “This partnership brings together a range of aviation and process technology expertise to study and verify the best path toward the sustainable use of biofuels in aviation.” Honeywell Aerospace, which provides expertise in engine technology for commercial aircraft, has been setting the standards in low emissions and fuel efficiency, including a wide range of auxiliary power units for Airbus aircraft. “Honeywell is working alongside key customers to find innovative solutions to meet passenger and operator demands for higher standards in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Greg Albert, Honeywell Aerospace vice president for Airbus programs. “We believe this joint effort, along with Honeywell’s advanced technology solutions in air traffic management, have the potential to significantly decrease pollutants.” -Hope Deutscher
Is biomass key to China’s energy path? China has the largest population and one of the fastest-growing economies on Earth, yet the country’s growth has put a huge strain on world energy supplies and China’s environment. These challenges and possibilities that China faces as it plots its energy future were outlined in an article recently published in the journal Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment. High energy consumption and poor energy efficiency exacerbate China’s pollution problem, according to the paper. In 2003, two-thirds of Chinese cities didn’t meet air quality standards. China has the highest sulfur dioxide emissions in the world and ranks second in carbon dioxide emissions. Chinese industry lags behind the rest of the world in energy efficiency. Eight energy-intensive industries representing nearly three-fourths of China’s industrial energy consumption use 47 percent more energy per unit of production than the
same industries in developed nations. Through the use of biomass as an energy source, China could reduce air pollution and improve energy efficiency, according to the paper’s authors Hai Ren, Zhi’an Li, Qinfeng Guo and Quan Wang. Biomass energy has only 10 percent of the polluting emissions of coal and could reduce pollution by 40 percent to 60 percent. The paper said the energy transformation efficiency— the effectiveness through which one type of energy is transformed into another—could be improved by 35 percent to 40 percent if advanced biomass combustion techniques were used. Although China is home to more than 1 billion people, it’s still a country rich in biomass resources. A survey cited in the Ambio paper estimates that China’s biomass resources could provide three times as much energy as the country currently consumes. Many of China’s native species pro-
duce seeds rich in vegetable oils, some with oil contents above 60 percent. China is party to treaties and has passed laws that could encourage the adoption of biomass energy in the coming years. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 2005 and will require China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future. The Chinese Renewable Energy Law was ratified by the National People’s Congress in 2007. The law encourages the use of renewable energy resources. Biomass energy is considered a critical alternative in China’s energy consumption and new rural construction campaign that began in 2007. The paper, which wasn’t peerreviewed, can be found at www .allenpress.com/pdf/i0044-7447-37-2136.pdf. Ambio is published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. -Jerry W. Kram 7|2008 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 15