Aviation Biofuels
Developing biofuels that power aviation
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office partners with national laboratories like PNNL to develop commercial-grade jet fuel made using domestic biomass. These collaborations are advancing research and development surrounding plentiful and waste feedstocks, fuel conversion, and production of fuel at commercial scale.
PNNL has made significant strides in the aviation biofuels realm with our commercial partner, LanzaTech. In the late 2000s, PNNL began investigating the catalytic chemistries that turn waste gases and biomass feedstocks into jet fuel.
PNNL’s biofuels research team constructed a lab-scale experimental setting and, in partnership with LanzaTech, used it to develop and produce 5-gallon samples of high-quality jet fuel from ethanol. LanzaTech then scaled up production to more than 4,000 gallons. In September 2018, LanzaTech licensed the technology from PNNL, and the following month, a Virgin Atlantic 747 jet flew from Orlando to London, marking the first commercial flight using the biofuel.
PNNL researchers are now pushing forward to help BETO identify future opportunities for bioenergy programs involving high-energy-content fuels. One area in which PNNL is significantly contributing is through evaluations to determine the potential for producing aviation biofuels from wastes.
