Biofuels Digest’s 2012 Best New Fuel Award: ARA, Chevron Lummus Global, 100% drop-in aviation biofuel

Aviation biofuels is, without a doubt, one area in which just about everyone agrees that biofuels have a strong future, if the economics are there and the product is a drop-in fuel. Well, nothing is more of a drop-in than a 100% drop-in, but to this point, a shortage of aromatics in renewable aviation fuels have restricted biofuel blends to 50/50 with fossil fuel. That cuts out, potentially, 30 billion gallons of global demand – and is there ever demand.

Along comes, via a partnership between ARA and Chevron Lummus Global, a technology that produces for the first time, a 100% drop-in fuel. Flight testing is now underway – a key step towards certification. Agrisoma (producing the underlying carinata feedstock) and Aemetis (as a production site for the fuels) are in the partnership mix too.

READ MORE: All about the project, here.

The Complete 2012 Biofuels Digest Awards

Best Project – Thermochemical
Best Project – Fermentation
Best Project – Hybrid
Best Project (demonstration)
Best Project (pilot)

Best Technology Extension
Best New Fuel
Best Retrofit
Process Improvement
Pretreatment Technology

Yield Improvement
Industrial Symbiosis
New Trait
New Feedstock
New Feedstock (Demonstration)

New Feedstock (Trial)
Consumer Product of the Year (biobased)
Consumer Product of the Year (biofuels)
Partnership of the Year
Special Editor’s Award – Comeback of the year

Special Editor’s Award – Sustainable technology
Book of the Year