UCO is working hard to make the campus more sustainable. This year there Winter Glow holiday celebration made the switch to LED lights.
UCO’s Coordinator for Campus Activities and Events, Jordan Smith, tells us why they made the switch. “We chose to go to the LED lights this year for a couple of reasons. First of all, the LED lights are more durable and have a longer bulb life than regular lights. They also only use about 10% of the electricity that normal lights do. This is vital to UCO as we are always trying to find ways to improve our university’s sustainability. Finally, we also like the look of the LED lights. They seem to shine brighter with more “pop” than normal lights.”
UCO’s projects don’t stop there. They started buying wind power in 2006 from Edmond Electric. They use 100% wind for their electrical needs. They have saved $50,000 so far. They are currently investigating buying a wind power generator. They are also looking in to solar and geothermal systems.
Hazardous waste is properly disposed of to make sure it has the smallest environmental impact possible. The UCO Motor Pool Department recycles 100% of used oil, oil filters, lubricants, and antifreeze.
They are also trying to educate people about being sustainable. They have an annual Earth Day event as well as other fantastic events.
They even make biodiesel for use in many of the diesel engines on campus. They also have a fantastic recycling program.
UCO is doing some very wonderful things in a state that is often behind on environmental issues. You can find out more about UCO’s sustainably projects on http://www.ucosustainability.com
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| Photosynthetic O2-production with C. reinhardtii wild type and tla1 mutant as a function of Chl concentration. Note the greater rates of O2-production in the tla1 than in the wild type under conditions of high cell density (high Chl concentration). Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are developing an approach to improving the solar-to-biofuels energy conversion efficiency of algae in mass culture by genetically truncating the size of the light-harvesting chlorophyll arrays that
serve to absorb sunlight in the photosynthetic apparatus. A paper on their work appears in a special energy issue of the open-access journal Optics Express.
Researchers have calculated, based on a quantum yield of 0.103 O2 per photon absorbed, that the productivity of microalgae under bright sunlight could be up to 75 g dry weight m-2 d-1. But, small-scale cultures of microalgae grown under full sunlight show maximal photosynthetic productivity of about 20-30 g dw m-2 d-1. The reason for this discrepancy, the Berkeley team of Mautusi Mitra and Anastasios Melis notes, is that green algae assemble large arrays of light absorbing chlorophyll (Chl) antenna molecules in their
photosystems.
Up to 600 Chl a and Chl b molecules can be found in association with PSII and PSI. At high solar intensities, the rate of photon absorption by the large Chl antenna of the first few layers of cells in the mass culture far exceeds the rate at which photosynthesis can utilize them, resulting in dissipation and loss of excess photons as heat or fluorescence. Up to 80% of the absorbed photons could thus be wasted, minimizing solar-to-product conversion efficiencies and photosynthetic productivity to unacceptably low levels. In addition to the wasteful dissipation of excitation, and also due to the high rate of photon absorption by the photosynthetic apparatus, cells at the surface of the mass culture are subject to photoinhibition of photosynthesis, a phenomenon that compounds losses in productivity. Meanwhile cells deeper in the culture are deprived of much needed solar energy, as this is strongly attenuated due to the filtering.
—Mitra and Melis 2008
Mitra and Melis suggest that algae can get along with many fewer Chl antenna molecules.
The main objective of the research in the field of bioengineering of the optical properties of microalgae is to minimize the Chl antenna size of the two photosystems to a combined low of 132 Chl molecules (37 for PSII and 95 for PSI). This is the smallest Chl antenna size that will permit assembly of the photosystems in chloroplasts. Such Chl antenna size configuration of the photosystems would compromise the competitive ability and survival of the cells in the wild. But, it would enable efficient solar-to-product conversion by the cells in mass culture, leading to high rates of biomass accumulation, and hydrogen (H2) or hydrocarbon (HC) production by these microorganisms.
—Mitra and Melis 2008
Truncating the Chl antenna size in green microalgae through bioengineering allows grater transmittance of sunlight deeper into the culture, thereby allowing more cells to contribute. Other research has also shown that a truncated Chl antenna size enables an approximate 3-fold greater solar energy conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity.
The Berkeley researchers had earlier identified the Tla1 gene as responsible for defining the Chl antenna size in green microalgae.
To identify currently unknown genes that determine the Chl antenna size in photosynthetic organisms, and to demonstrate that a truncated Chl antenna size would minimize absorption and wasteful dissipation of sunlight by
individual cells, resulting in better light utilization efficiency and greater photosynthetic productivity under mass culture conditions, the team is using an approach comprising DNA insertional mutagenesis, screening, biochemical and molecular analyses in a study of the green algae C. reinhardtii.
Current progress suggests that a partially truncated chlorophyll antenna size of the microalgae alleviates the over-absorption of incident sunlight by individual cells in a high density culture, and minimizes the wasteful dissipation of irradiance. A truncated light harvesting chlorophyll antenna size in such mutants diminishes the severe cell shading that occurs with normally pigmented wild type, permitting a more uniform illumination of the cells in a mass culture, and resulting in a greater solar-to-product conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity of the algae under high cell density and bright sunlight conditions. Accordingly, the truncated light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna size (tla) property may find
application in the commercial exploitation of microalgae for the generation of biomass,
biofuel, chemical feedstock, as well as nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.
—Mitra and Melis 2008
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The European Parliament adopted a Euro VI compromise proposal, worked out with the European Council, for emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. Emissions standards in the adopted proposal are the same as in earlier versions, but they will now apply de facto from 31 December 2013 for new vehicles, nine months earlier than the Commission proposed.
The proposed Euro VI regulation lays down harmonized technical rules for heavy vehicles of more than 2,610 kg, with which all new vehicles will have to comply in order to get the necessary type approval.
Euro VI is an vital instrument to achieve a better air quality; it reduces particles and Oxides of Nitrogen. Since particles are responsible for more than 348,000 early deaths, I would have wished for more ambitious limit, but the packet achieved is a excellent compromise. We’ll achieve a reduction of particules of 66% compared to the existing limits and a reduction of Oxides of Nitrogen of 80%.
—Rapporteur Matthias Groote (PES, DE)
The compromise backs the Commission’s proposed lower limit values for emissions of several pollutants (CO, THC, NMHC, CH4, NOx, NH3). The limit value for total oxides of nitrogen (NOx), will be 0.4 g/kWh (80% less compared with Euro V), and the particle mass limit will be 0.01 g/kWh 10 mg/kWh—a 66% reduction compared with the Euro V stage limits.
In addition to more stringent limit values, the proposal introduces provisions on off-cycle emissions, on-board diagnostics, access to repair information, durability of pollution control devices, replacement pollution control devices, conformity of in-service engines and vehicles, carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption measurement. The proposal also calls for the introduction of a particle number limit value, to be established no later than 1 April 2010.
Limits are currently based on ESC (European Stationary Cycle) and ETC (European Transient Cycle) testing. Limit values relating to WHSC and WHTC (World Harmonized Stationary Cycle and Transient Cycle, respectively), replacing the limit values relating to ESC and ETC, will be introduced at a later stage, once correlation factors with respect to the current cycles (ESC and ETC) have been established, no later than 1 April 2010.
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| Euro VI limits. Click to enlarge. |
The new limits are a also a practical step forward towards global harmonization; with NOx at 0.4 g/kWh and PM at 0.01 g/kWh, the Euro VI limits are much closer to the US EPA 2010 standards for heavy-duty vehicles (0.2 g/bhp-hr NOx and 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM; or about 0.27 g/kWh NOx and 0.013 g/kWh PM).
The Commission is questioned to specify, if appropriate, a specific limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in addition to the limit value for total NOx. If the Commission concludes that it is appropriate to regulate the emissions of additional pollutants it shall submit a proposal to the EP and Council.
The compromise backs the Commission’s proposal to include measures relating to access to repair information in the regulation, so as to ensure effective competition on the market in repair and maintenance services. Similar measures already exist for the relevant legislation on passenger cars (Euro 5). The compromise foresees an adaptation of those provisions to the particularities of heavy goods vehicles.
Finally, the compromise also follows the Commission’s proposal to enable Member States to provide for financial incentives to accelerate the placing on the market of vehicles meeting the new requirements.
The report was adopted with 610 votes in favor, 11 against and 22 abstentions. The Member States will now vote on adopting the package.
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Owens Corning, a leader in building materials systems and glass fiber reinforcements, has endorsed the Pickens Plot. The Pickens Plot calls for reducing the United States’ dependence on oil through the investment in domestic renewable resources, such as wind and solar, and the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. In partnership with Owens Corning, the Plot will now also call for increased energy efficiency in homes and buildings.
Buildings consume 40 percent of our nation’s energy. That’s more than industry or transportation. Energy efficiency in homes and buildings is critical to the achievement of right energy independence. As the leading provider of glass fiber for wind blades, we were initially drawn to the Pickens Plot based on his vision for wind power in America. We applaud Mr. Pickens for also recognizing the importance of energy efficiency in solving our nation’s energy challenges. We’re hopeful our endorsement of this plot, through our financial resources and employee involvement, will encourage other companies to support the plot as well.
—Mike Thaman, chairman and CEO of Owens Corning
As a result of adding energy efficiency to the Pickens Plot, current Plot supporters and the general public will be encouraged to make sure their homes and workplaces are adequately insulated and made aware that significant amounts of energy can be saved by simply ensuring buildings have sufficient insulation.
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With the official opening of the Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative (IGPC) 150 million liter ethanol plant, Canada will now be producing more than one billion liters (264 million gallons US) of ethanol per year, according to the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.
The Canadian ethanol industry now has 16 plants—including the IGPC plant—with a combined capacity of 1.62 billion liters per year. Eight use corn (1.106 billion liter capacity); seven use wheat (512 million liter capacity); and one, Iogen, is a cellulosic producer using wheat straw (2 million liter capacity).
The C$140 million IGPC ethanol plant in Aylmer, Ontario will also produce approximately 120,000 tonnes of Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS). DDGS are a valuable co-product of ethanol plants used in livestock feed.
Canada has a federal Renewable Fuel Standard of 5% by 2010, equating to about 2 billion liters of ethanol per year.
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Chrysler will idle all its manufacturing operations at the end of the shift 19 December, and impacted employees will not return to work any sooner than 19 January 2009, according to a statement issued by the company today.
Chrysler said that it was taking this action due to the continued lack of consumer credit for the US car buyer and the resulting dramatic impact it has had on overall industry sales in the United States. Chrysler says that it is working to keep production and dealer inventory aligned with US market demand.
The company said that during a recent meeting at its headquarters, its dealers confirmed that they have many willing buyers but are unable to close the deals, due to lack of financing. The dealers have stated that they have lost an estimated 20-25% of their volume because of this credit situation.
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| The AEO2009 reference case projects no increase in petroleum-based liquid fuels consumption, as biofuel use grows. Click to enlarge. |
The Annual Energy Outlook 2009 (AEO2009) reference case released today by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects virtually no growth in US oil consumption through 2030, reflecting the combined effect of recently enacted CAFE standards, requirements for increased use of renewable fuels, and an assumed rebound in oil prices as the world economy recovers.
With overall liquid fuel demand in the AEO2009 reference case growing by 1 million barrels per day between 2007 and 2030, increased use of domestically-produced biofuels, and rising domestic oil production spurred by higher prices, the net import share of total liquids supplied, including biofuels, declines from 58% in 2007 to less than 40% in 2025 before increasing to 41% in 2030.
Vehicle fleet and use. AEO2009 projects a sharp increase in the sale of unconventional vehicle technologies, such as flex-fuel, hybrid, and diesel vehicles, as well as a significant decline in the new light-truck share of total light-duty vehicle sales.
In the reference case, hybrid vehicle sales (all varieties) increase from 2% of new light-duty vehicle sales in 2007 to 38% in 2030 (sales are tracking at around 2.4% for 2008), with full and mild hybrid systems accounting for most of that. Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) grow to 90,000 vehicles annually by 2014, supported by recently enacted tax credits. By 2030, PHEVs account for 2% of new light vehicle sales.
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| Full and mild hybrid systems dominate new vehicle sales by 2030. Click to enlarge. |
The mix of light-duty vehicle sales shifts away from trucks back to cars. Click to enlarge. |
AEO2009 assumes an ongoing increase in light-duty vehicle (vehicle weight < 8,500 lbs) miles traveled (VMT), with an increase from a projected 2,669 billion VMT this year to 3,807 billion VMT in 2030—an increase of 42.6%.
Assumed tested (EPA rated) average efficiency of new light-duty cars increases from 30.4 mpg US (7.7 L/100km) in 2008 to 41.4 mpg US (5.7 L/100km) in 2030 (+36%); tested efficiency for light trucks increases from 23.1 mpg US (10.2 L/100km) to 32.9 mpg US (7.1 L/100km) in 2030 (+43%).
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| AEO2009 LDV fuel economy projections. Click to enlarge. |
Assumed on-road efficiency (tested new vehicle efficiency revised for on-road performance) of new cars in the report increases from 24.8 mpg US (9.5 L/100km) in 2008 to 34.7 mpg US (6.8 L/100km) in 2030 (+40%); on-road efficiency for light trucks increases from 19.4 mpg US (12.1 L/100km) in 2008 to 27.7 mpg US (8.5 L/100km) in 2030 (+43%).
AEO2009 projects that in 2030, the light-duty fleet will consume 16.41 quadrillion Btu of energy (9.31 million barrels per day oil equivalent), an increase of 2% from 2008’s 16.04 quadrillion Btu.
Biofuels. AEO2009 projects that biofuels will fall small of the 36 billion gallon RFS target for 2022—mainly due to the lack of cellulosic ethanol production—but will exceed the 36 billion gallon target by 2030.
The report sees ethanol use for gasoline blending growing to 12.2 billion gallons and E85 consumption to 17.3 billion gallons in 2030. The ethanol supply from cellulosic feedstocks reaches 12.6 billion gallons (including both domestic and imported production) in 2030. Biodiesel and biomass-to-liquid diesel fuel use both rise significantly, reaching nearly 2 billion gallons and 5 billion gallons, respectively, in 2030.
Other highlights. Other highlights of the AEO2009 reference case projections include:
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Efficiency policies and higher energy prices in AEO2009 slow the rise in US energy use, which is projected to grow from 101.9 quadrillion Btu in 2007 to 113.3 quadrillion Btu in 2030. Combined with the increased use of renewables and a reduction in projected additions of new coal-fired conventional power plants, this slows the growth in energy-related GHG emissions.
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Energy-related CO2 emissions grow at 0.3% per year from 2007 to 2030 in the AEO2009 reference case, reaching a level of 6,410 million metric tons in 2030, as compared with 6,851 million metric tons in the AEO2008 reference case.
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The assumption of a higher world oil price path in the AEO2009 reference case reflects tighter constraints on access to low cost oil supplies in a setting where the forces driving growth in long-term demand in non-OECD countries remains as strong as previously expected. In 2007 dollars, the world crude oil price, averaging near $60 in 2009, rises as the global economy rebounds and global demand once again grows more rapidly than non-OPEC liquids supply. In 2030, the average real price of crude oil is $130 per barrel in 2007 dollars ($189 per barrel in nominal dollars).
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Coal, oil, and natural gas meet 79% of total US primary energy supply requirements in 2030, down from an 85% share in 2007.
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Total consumption of marketed renewable fuels—including wood, municipal waste, and biomass in the end use sectors; hydroelectricity, geothermal, municipal waste, biomass, solar, and wind for electric power generation; ethanol for gasoline blending; and biomass-based diesel—grows by 3.3% per year.
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Total domestic production of natural gas reaches 23.7 trillion cubic feet by 2030. While exploration and production costs rise over time, higher natural gas prices support the projected level of production. Onshore production of unconventional natural gas, including shale gas, increases from 9.2 trillion cubic feet in 2007 to 13.2 trillion cubic feet in 2030.
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Total electricity consumption, including both buys from electric power producers and on-site generation, grows from 3,903 billion kWh in 2007 to 4,902 billion kWh in 2030. New natural gas and renewable plants account for the majority of generating capacity additions. The natural gas share of electricity generation remains between 19% and 22% through 2030. Coal’s generation share declines from 49% to 45% between 2007 and 2025, then rebounds slightly to 47% in 2030 as a small number of new coal plants are added.
The full AEO2009 report, including projections with differing assumptions on the price of oil, the rate of economic growth, and the characteristics of new technologies, will be released in early 2009, along with regional projections.
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US VMT per capita, annualized and real gasoline pump prices,
Jan 1991–Sep 2008. Click to enlarge. Source: Puentes and Tomer |
The US is experiencing its longest and steepest drop in driving, signaling a
permanent shift away from reliance on the car to other modes of transportation, according to a new Brookings Institution report. This shift will have far reaching implications for transportation, environmental, energy, and land-use plotting, the authors said.
The report—The Road…Less Traveled: An Analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled Trends in the US—shows that national vehicle miles traveled (VMT), started to plateau as far back as 2004 and dropped in 2007 for the first time since 1980. Per capita driving followed a similar pattern, with flat-lining growth after 2000 and falling rates since 2005. These recent declines in driving predated the steady hikes in gas prices during 2007 and 2008.
Moreover, the recent drops in VMT (90 billion miles) and VMT per capita (388 miles) are the largest annualized drops since World War II.
Even though gasoline prices declined sharply from
September through October, drivers didn’t get back in their cars. With vital conversations underway on infrastructure spending as economic stimulus, it’s critical for the new Congress and administration to recognize the long-term implications
of these travel trends and to use this as an occasion to place forth a new vision that reflects new realities and is not just more of the same.
—Robert Puentes, co-author, fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings
From October 2007 to September 2008, Americans drove 90 billion fewer miles than the same time period the year before. For the first time in US history, the amount of roadway available to drivers is outpacing the number of miles really driven. Transit use is at its highest level since the 1950’s, and Amtrak just set a ridership record this year.
| “The American driver has hit a wall. We are now driving the same distance per year as we did in 1998.”
—Robert Puentes
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While total driving in both rural and urban areas grew between January 1991 and
September 2008, rural and urban VMT have been declining since 2004 and 2007,
respectively. Amongst these collective driving declines, the nation shifted more of its VMT share to larger capacity, urban roadways.
The Brookings report identifies a variety of factors as responsible for the decline in driving:
- Market saturation of vehicle ownership;
- A plateau in the number of women entering the workforce;
- A possible ceiling in the amount of driving any one individual can tolerate;
- Increased ridership on mass transit;
- The development of commercial centers closer to home; and
- Rising unemployment.
Fewer drivers on the road have brought revenues from the gas tax,
the primary source of funding for transportation projects, to all-time lows.
Our ending like affair with the car has tremendous implications for transportation policy. As gas tax receipts plummet, we will have to get smarter about how we spend our transportation dollars. We cannot afford to build more roads that people simply will not use. We run the very real risk of severely misallocating
scarce resources.
—Adie Tomer, co-author
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| Annualized change in VMT, by state, December 2006 to September 2008. Click to enlarge. Source: Puentes and Tomer |
The report also presents a survey which ranks all 50 states and the nation’s 100 largest metro areas for their “driving footprint” and shows who drives the most, who drives the least, and where driving is declining the fastest.
Southeastern and Intermountain West states experienced the largest growth rates in
driving between 1991 and 2006, while the Fantastic Lakes, Northeastern, and Pacific states
grew at a slower pace. These varied, but positive, growth rates reversed after 2006, as 45
states produced less annualized VMT in September 2008. Similarly, per capita driving declined in 48 states since the end of 2006.
Total driving on principal arterials is concentrated in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, but the greatest driving per person occurs in low density Southeastern and Southwestern metros. In addition, the 100 largest metros’ urban driving share exceeds the national share, with 83 metros carrying more than 70% of their principal arterial traffic on urban roadways.
To address the fiscal impact of reduced gas tax revenue resulting from the drop in VMT, the report calls on Congress and state legislatures to raise the federal gas tax in the small-term and repeal the gas guzzler tax exemption for SUVs and light trucks to increase revenues. It also suggests that policymakers consider other revenue streams that reflect changes in travel patterns, such as a carbon tax.
Other recommendations include making new federal mechanisms to spark innovation in places that want to link disparate transportation, housing, energy and environmental policies to make better outcomes. New grants could be awarded to promote sustainable development patterns or reduce carbon emissions.
Financially, reduced driving will only intensify the federal and state governments’ need to seriously reconsider their current reliance on the gas tax to fund surface transportation. Environmentally, stalled or reduced driving should offer
a positive development in the creation of a more environmentally-sustainable transportation network. Developmentally, reduced driving demand will instinctively lead to more demand for development less reliant on the automobile and could signal a continued reinvigoration of this nation’s cities and inner suburbs.
The synthesis of these travel trends, their significant implications, and the heightened interest in rethinking federal infrastructure policy make a unique moment. With vital conversations underway about infrastructure spending as economic stimulus, the reauthorization of the current federal transportation law, and other legislative priorities like climate change and energy looming, our nation’s
policy opportunities are unprecedented.
—Puentes and Tomer
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| The new join venture will work from the basis of the GS Yuasa EH6 power cell. Click to enlarge. |
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and GS Yuasa have agreed to establish a joint venture company which will manufacture, sell and conduct R&D for high-power lithium-ion batteries with a central focus on applications in hybrid electric vehicles. The two companies aim to establish the new company sometime around spring 2009. This will be GS Yuasa’s second Li-ion joint venture with a major automaker.
The new company will manufacture batteries based on GS Yuasa’s 6Ah-class prismatic Li-ion EH6 cell. The new venture will explore modifying the cathode materials and cell structure to optimize performance for next-generation hybrid vehicles.
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| Boost and regen characteristics of the EH6 cell as a function of SOC at 25° C. Click to enlarge. |
The EH6, which Masanori Kitamura from GS Yuasa presented at AABC 2008 earlier this year, is a 3.7V, 6Ah cell with a LiNiCoMnO2 cathode and carbon anode. Specific energy for the cell is 67.1 Wh·kg-1, and volumetric energy density is 114.3 Wh·L-1.
The cell can provide 10 seconds of boost power at 50% SOC of 1.2 kW (3,600 W·kg
at 25° C. One second help and regenerative power in the 20-70% SOC range is 1 kW.
GS Yuasa will hold 51% of the new venture, and Honda 49%. The headquarters of the new company is plotted to be located in Minami-ku, Kyoto, and the factory is plotted to be established within the property of GS Yuasa’s Osadano operation in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto.
In 2007, GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) officially launched a joint venture—Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ)—to manufacture large-capacity and high-performance lithium-ion batteries targeted for EVs. (Earlier post.) GS Yuasa is also the majority shareholder in that JV with 51%; MC holds 34% and MMC holds the remaining 15%. Initial production is targeted at 200,000 cells in fiscal year 2009.
The basic LEJ cell is the 50Ah-class LEV50, based on GS Yuasa’s LIM series of Li-ion batteries, but with modifications in cell-structure and electrode materials to deliver improved energy and power densities.
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ExxonMobil Refining & Supply today will invest more than $1 billion in three refineries to increase the supply of cleaner burning diesel by about six million gallons per day. The company will construct new units and modify existing facilities at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Baytown, Texas; and Antwerp, Belgium, refineries.
By 2010, the refineries’ modifications and expansions are expected to be completed, increasing production of diesel with sulfur levels of 15 parts per million (ppm) or less.
This investment is the latest phase in ExxonMobil’s efforts to increase supplies and reduce the sulfur content of both motor gasoline and diesel. In 2000, the company started an integrated approach to convert and modify refineries, terminals and pipelines to provide ultra low sulfur fuel products.
The Baytown Refinery is the largest oil refinery in the United States, with a crude capacity of approximately 567,000 barrels per day. The Baton Rouge Refinery is the second-largest oil refinery in the United States, with a crude capacity of approximately 503,000 barrels per day. The Antwerp Refinery is the second-largest ExxonMobil refinery in Europe, with a crude capacity of approximately 305,000 barrels per day.
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Japan Airlines (JAL) will be the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel refined from the energy crop camelina. The demo flight, which will test a blend of 50% biofuel and 50% traditional Jet-A jet (kerosene) fuel in one of the four Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines of a JAL-owned Boeing 747-300 aircraft, is plotted for 30 January 2009 out of Haneda Airport, Tokyo.
The biofuel component—a synthetic paraffinic kerosene produced by UOP (earlier post)—will be produced from a mixture of three second-generation biofuel feedstocks: camelina (84%), jatropha (less than 16%), and algae (less than 1%).
This will make the JAL biofuel demonstration flight the first one to be powered by camelina, and the first using a combination of three sustainable feedstocks. It will also be the first biofuel demo by an Asian carrier, as well as the first one using Pratt & Whitney engines.
UOP’s process, which is feedstock flexible and results in a “Green Jet” renewable synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK), is based on the hydrogenation/de-oxygenation of free fatty acids (based on the EcoFining technology) followed by isomerization and selective cracking to improve the low-temperature properties and to clip the carbons into the right range for jet fuel.
The exact carbon number distribution—and end fuel properties—varies between oil sources, but can be controlled by processing targets.
The 50:50 blend of SPK and Jet-A was lab tested by Boeing, UOP, and several independent laboratories to verify that the biofuel met the industry criteria for jet fuel performance. Ground-based jet engine performance testing by Pratt & Whitney of similar fuels further established that the biofuel blend either meets or exceeds the performance criteria that is in place for commercial aviation jet fuel today.
Camelina. Camelina sativa, also known as gold-of-pleasure or fake flax, is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family, which includes other oilseeds such as mustard and rapeseed.
Camelina has high oil content; its oils are low in saturated stout; it is drought-resistant and requires less fertilizer and herbicides. Most importantly, it is an brilliant rotation crop with wheat, and it can also grow in marginal land. Camelina does not displace other crops or compete as a food source.
Native to Northern Europe and Central Asia, the plant also thrives in the plains areas of the United States, including Montana. Sustainable Oils officially launched its camelina growers program in the state last year, and is aggressively expanding the number of growers and acres planted. It is estimated that the state of Montana alone could support between 2 and 3 million acres of camelina, generating 200 to 300 million gallons of oil each year.
Camelina is classified as a traditional crop, but is considered a next-generation feedstock given that its primary use is for biofuel.
Camelina is a dedicated energy crop that has the energy properties we need to make a new source of aviation jet fuel. We’re focused on making sustainable plant-derived jet fuel blends that meet or exceed all of the current jet fuel specification properties, but not at the expense of food crops or water resources. Camelina is a solid match in that regard.
—Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
The camelina to be used in the JAL demo flight was sourced by Sustainable Oils, Inc., a US-based provider of renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based fuels. Terasol Energy sourced and provided the jatropha oil, and the algae oil was provided by Sapphire Energy.
Sustainable Oils officially launched its camelina growers program in Montana last year, and is aggressively expanding the number of growers and acres planted.
JAL, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, and UOP have committed to the use of second-generation biofuel feedstocks that are more efficient and sustainable energy than first-generation counterparts. Second-generation biofuel feedstocks, such as camelina, jatropha and algae, do not compete with natural food or water resources and do not contribute to deforestation practices.
The test flight. The approximately 1 hour demo flight out of Haneda Airport, Tokyo will be flown by JAL staff with no passengers onboard. The flight will be the final stage in a 12-month process to confirm the sustainable biofuel’s operational performance capabilities and potential commercial viability.
The highest levels of safety will be adhered to throughout the whole biofuel demonstration flight. Prior to takeoff, we will run the No. 3 engine (middle right) using the fuel blend to confirm everything operates normally. In the air, we will check the engine’s performance during normal and non-normal flight operations, which will include quick accelerations and decelerations, and engine shutdown and restart.
—JAL Environmental Affairs Vice President Yasunori Abe
Once the flight has been completed, data recorded on the aircraft will be analyzed by Pratt & Whitney and Boeing engineers. Several of the engine readings will be used to determine if equivalent engine performance was seen from the biofuel blend compared to typical Jet A-1 fuel.
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This fantastic YouTube clip represents 24 hours of air travel – an astonishing 2 million people in the air at any one time.
Emirates Airline started a new route from Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates, to San Francisco, initiating a number of new features to help it reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions. Subsequently, Emirates referred to this trip as a
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Faced with the stark truth that the numbers of U.S. students pursuing careers in science are dwindling rapidly, the EPA and the City College of New York have announced a joint effort to encourage and produce environmental scientists of diverse backgrounds to pursue their dreams in the field of environmental science and potentially wind up working for the EPA.
Just as I never buy paper napkins and yet I always seem to have some, I never buy sandwich bags and yet…I always seem to have some. My daughter brings one home with a treat from the class birthday party. Her friend brings one over with a snack to share during their playdate. I buy some dried spearmint to make spearmint tea, and the shopkeeper measures it out into a tiny small sandwich bag.
