environment/sustainablebiofuels/fuelprocessingmethods/
environment/sustainablebiofuels/flighttestprogram/

Commercialization

The technology required to make sustainable aviation biofuels a reality is progressing much faster than expected. Sustainable biofuels have been proven to perform the same, or better, than today's aviation fuel - known as Jet-A. The industry is now focusing on ensuring that sustainable, scalable and affordable processing methods are in place to deliver the fuel quantities required for the industry to put these new fuels to use.

Aviation Can Maximize Benefits

Aviation is uniquely structured to maximize benefits of sustainable biofuels. Compared to hundreds of millions of cars worldwide and the vast infrastructure serving them, commercial aviation is comprised of fewer than 20,000 aircraft and only a few hundred airport fueling stations. Aviation's smaller scale and less complex infrastructure put the industry in a position to make big changes that make a real difference to the global environment and local economies.

Supply Chain Overview

The supply chain is a critical component to making sustainable aviation biofuels commercially viable. At each step of the way, technology must converge with sustainability principles to ensure the entire supply chain - not just the end-result fuel - is a viable, sustainable alternative to current practices.

Because sustainable aviation biofuels have been proven to work in existing infrastructure without changes to the aircraft or engines, the focus today is increasingly on ensuring that feedstock harvesting and fuel processing development projects are both sustainable and scalable. New projects must be scalable to ensure that the fuel produced remains affordable compared to petroleum-based, Jet-A fuel.

The following "checklist" indicates considerations necessary for a sustainable aviation biofuel project to be commercially viable:

• Sustainability principles established
• Sustainability practices and auditing
• Technology/agronomy in place
• Fuel processing technology in place
• Viable feedstock and processing developers in place