Military investment will hasten scale-up of aviation biofuels, says BIO

In Washington, the Biotechnology Industry Organization submitted comments to the Air Force’s Request for Information on the commercial status and market for advanced drop-in biofuels.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, stated, “The U.S. military and the nation as a whole face a significant national security threat from U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy and ongoing price volatility.

The military requires access to adequate fuel supplies in strategic locations, and biorefineries producing advanced biofuels from multiple feedstocks represent perhaps the best option for meeting this military need.

“Individual advanced biofuel producers have achieved milestones toward commercial development of a diverse array of feedstock and technology combinations. But full commercialization has been limited by the severely constrained market for private capital. Coordination of efforts by the USDA, DOE and DOD to address the market challenges could significantly accelerate production of the volumes necessary to meet the energy security needs of the U.S. military. Military use of advanced biofuels could in turn validate emerging technologies and unlock private investment in future advanced biofuels production for civilian markets.