KLM forms SkyEnergy to develop sustainable biofuels; completes biofuels flight tests with passengers on board

In the Netherlands, KLM has also announced the formation of a joint-venture company to develop sustainable biofuels called SkyEnergy, together with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) will advise the consortium in relation to ecological aspects

According to KLM, the development of biokerosene “is a quest that KLM is pursuing in accordance with strict financial, technological and ecological criteria.”

Also yesterday, KLM conducted a flight partly powered by a biofuel produced from the plant camelina. The flight took off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for a demonstration lasting around one hour. On board were a number of Dutch government officials and industry partners – the first time passengers have been on board a biofuels demonstration flight. Some of the camelina was reportedly sourced from Great Plains-The Camelina company.

Johan van de Gronden, director of WWF The Netherlands, said:  “The establishment of SkyEnergy is a groundbreaking initiative. KLM’s demonstration flight serves as a concrete step towards achieving a more sustainable future. We still have a long way to go in relation to biofuels for aviation, but by investing in this manner KLM is once again taking the lead.”

More on aviation biofuels

Last December an Air New Zealand Boeing 747 test flight used a 50% mix of biofuel from the plant jatropha. Following this, Continental Airlines flew one of its Boeing 737 aircraft on a 50% biofuel mix from algae and jatropha and Japan Airlines flew a Boeing 747 with a 50% blend of biofuel made from camelina, jatropha and algae. The first biofuels trial flight took place in February 2008 when Virgin Airlines tested a feul mix made from babassu palm and coconut oil.

A web resource has been established about the biofuel trials occurring around the world, here.

Information on the global targets set by aviation is here.

Airlines

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand announced in May that the engines running B50 blended biofuels in a December flight test saved 1.2 percent on fuel use as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60-75 percent, or 4.5 tons.

The airline said that it could save 1.43 tonnes of fuel on a 12-hour flight using a 50/50 blend of jatropha and conventional Jet A1 fuel. The airline added that it will contribute the flight data to a variety of organizations studying the potential of biofuels in aviation.

Continental Airlines

In January, Continental Airlines successfully demonstrated the use of algae as an aviation fuel in a two-hour test flight at George Bush International Airport in Houston. The flight was the first test of biofuels by a North American airline; the first to utilize algae as a biofuel feedstock; and the first biofuels test flight in a two-engine jet.

Japan Airlines

In January, JAL became the fourth airline to successfully flight test biofuels in the past year, and the first to successfully demonstrate camelina as a biofuel feedstock. The airline conducted a one-hour 747-300 flight test using a B50 blend of camelina, jatropha and algae based biofuel in the number 3 engine. The jatropha was supplied by Terrasol, algae oil by Sapphire Energy, and the camelina oil by Sustainable Oils.

The biofuel was 84 percent camelina, 16 percent jatropha, and less than one percent algae.The fuel was processed by Honeywell’s UOP subsidiary, and supplied by a joint venture of UOP and JGC, Nikki Universal.

Virgin

The World Development Movement called the February 2008 Virgin 747 biodiesel test flight a “publicity stunt with dangerous consequences for the planet” and said that Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson “should back a campaign to include aviation in the climate change bill.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa said that it would convert up to 10 percent of its fuel usage to biofuels by 2020, as a part of its overall effort to reduce emissions by 25 percent in that time frame. compared to 2006 levels. The company, which announced a set of measures to improve environmental efficiency, also said that it would reduce NOX emissions by 80 percent from 2000 levels.

Malaysia

Malaysia Airlines indicated that the airline expects to convert to biofuels as soon as they reach commercial viability in Southeast Asia. The airline’s CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala made the comments while launching a “MAS Goes Green” initiative, which channels voluntary funds from customers into a Forest Research Institute-managed trust fund for sanctioned forest conservation projects.

JetBlue

Airbus and Honeywell recently announced a partnership that they said would replace up to 30 percent of jet fuel with biofuels. The partnership, which also includes Jet Blue and the International Aero Engines consortium, said that they would produce biofuels from algae and other non-food vegetable oils. The International Aero Engines consortium included Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. Fuels will be developed by Honeywell UOP, which last year won a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) to develop biofuels for the US military

GOL

The low cost Brazilian airline GOL has joined the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), and will become a part of the group’s drive to reduce fuel costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions — including in-depth examination of jatropha and algae jet fuel in terms of lifecycle green house gas emissions and the potential impact on producer nations, including economic development and land-use.

Azul

Embraer and General Electric announced that they will conduct a test flight using renewable jet fuel produced from sugar cane by Amyris Biotechnologies. The test flight will be operated by Azul Linhas Aereas and will be conducted in 2012.

British Airways

BA announced that it would test four alternative fuels for a trial in a Rolls Royce test bed early next year. The company said that the fuel it chose would not impact food, water or land, although it did not offer details on how this would be achieved in a press release.

BA staff newspaper British Airways News said that the term alternative fuels was used instead of biofuels because of the negative association of the term with first generation ethanol. The company said that it would test four fuels, and was seeking up to 15,000 gallons of fuel for the test.

Other groups

Boeing

At the Paris Air Show Boeing and a series of partners involved in four biofuels-based test flights released the data from the tests, and said that with the release they are on a path towards flight certification of biofuels as soon as late 2010. Billy Glover, managing director of Environmental Strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that the group, which includes UOP Honeywell and the US Air Force Research Lab, is preparing a submission to ASTM that will qualify what the group is now calling Bio-SPK fuel.

Airbus

A team from Airbus, Aeroflot and KPMG has prepared a report on the “The European directive to include aviation in the European CO2 Emission Trading Scheme: Consequences and strategic options for the aviation industry,” including a review of remediation options offered by biofuels and a review of progress in aviation biofuels to date. The report, which can be downloaded here, includes a review of biofuels on pages 33 and 46.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels Users Group

Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue announced tin July hat they will join the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, a grouping of airlines, environmental organizations, research projects and practices and principles that can help accelerate the commercialization and availability of sustainable biofuels. Current airline members include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Boeing and Honeywell’s UOP, a refining technology developer, are associate members.

Biofuels developers

Targeted Growth / Sustainable Oils – camelina

Targeted Growth is a bioscience company, developing technologies that both increase seed size and yield in major crops. It has also developed a line of dedicated energy crops, including camelina and sugarcorn, as well as a non-agricultural feedstock – cyanobacteria algae for biomass. Targeted Growth products can be used for ethanol, biodiesel, and biojet. Major investors include Alliance Bernstein, Capricorn Investment Group, GrowthWorks, Skoll Foundation and Victoria Park Capital.

Great Plains – the Camelina Company – camelina

Great Plains, The Camelina Company announced a partnership with Agragen, a Finnish biotechnology company that genetically modifies Camelina sativa to increase oil content, viability in expanded locations, and resistance to disease, weeds and pests. Camelina meal is naturally high in  protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Agragen’s portfolio includes nine major Camelina-based patents, four patents pending, and numerous additional intellectual property licenses related to the improvement of Camelina. Great Plains recently announced that it increased its contracted acreage by more than 200 percent versus 2008.  The expected yield from this acreage provides commercial scale for what has been described by a major aviation manufacturer as one of the most promising sources for renewable fuel.

Sapphire Energy – algae

Sapphire,  is developing an affordable, scalable commercial production system – its “above ground oil field,” as Sapphire’s Tim Zenk put it. At the same time, it has mounted a parallel effort to identify its “magic bunny” — the strains with the optimal combinations of high energy content, fast reproduction, and ability to tough it out in the wild, wild west of open ponds.

Terrasol – jatropha

The jatropha was supplied by Terrasol for the Continental and Japan Airlines flight test

UOP – hydroprocessing technology

Jennifer Holmgren, general manager for biofuels at UOP, confirmed in June that UOP expects to commence licensing its fuel technology at the end of this summer, and said that it has already commenced advanced discussions with multiple potential licensees.

Jet Plains: Part I – Ceres, Via Space and Solazyme updates

Ceres, ViaSpace, Sustainable Oils, Solazyme are among R&D leaders aiming to turn America’s heartland into a high-tech advanced biofuels playground of energy grasses and camelina for advanced transportation biofuels and aviation fuel.

Jet Plains: Part II – update on Rentech, Dynamic Fuels, and the US Air Force

Comments from Solazyme CEO Jonathan Wolfson and the DOE’s Valerie Reed confirm an increasingly laser-like focus on renewable aviation fuels from the advanced biofuels community. Here are some developments in renewable, drop-in aviation fuels from biomass also highly worth noting.

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