Flight plan: 14 practical steps towards commercial aviation biofuels now

For every 5% in global shift to aviation biofuels — create 72,000 jobs and avoid 3 million tons of carbon emissions.

How to get from available field to affordable fuel in 14 steps

In Illinois, the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative released their recommendations from MASBI’s year-long study of the potential for aviation biofuels in the Midwest. In the 28-report, MASBI, policymakers and experts identified next steps in advancing biofuels development, which can reduce carbon emissions, create green jobs in the Midwest, drive innovation in clean technology, improve energy security and power a sustainable future for aviation.

“For every 5% of petroleum jet fuel that can be offset by biofuels [in the Midwest],” the report’s authors said, “nearly 3,600 jobs will be created and 150,000 tons of carbon emissions will be avoided annually. MASBI’s recommendations, summarized below, are important next steps that can propel the aviation advanced biofuels industry toward generating some of the nearly 20 billion gallons of jet fuel required to support U.S commercial aviation.”

MASBI was led by United Airlines, Boeing, Honeywell’s UOP, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Clean Energy Trust. In addition, Argonne National Laboratory chaired an Advisory Council, which included government agencies and non-profit institutions. This initiative, the result of a yearlong study by MASBI researchers, builds on crucial steps taken by the industry since 2006 that have resulted in approved pathways, drop-in fuels, certification to fly aircraft commercially powered by advanced biofuels and more than 1,500 completed commercial flights to date.

In today’s Digest we explore MASBI’s 14 practical steps to accelerate aviation biofuels to commercialization — and the state of play in R&D, production, financing, policy and sustainability. Lots of charts on costs, approval pathways, waiting times, financing and feedstock availability. Plus, links to the full MASBI report and the executive summary, by visiting the page links below.