Following tests on a B747, KLM and the Schiphol Group have begun a four-month pilot programme using 40 tractors, catering, bird control, lease and delivery vans running on spent cooking oil.
The biodiesel is supplied by SkyNRG, established by KLM, the North Sea Group and Spring Associates to develop and market use fuels that are both sustainable and affordable.
‘By using 100 percent bio diesel in our vehicles we are injecting a powerful impetus in the advancement of sustainable enterprise at Amsterdam airport. We have formulated the ambition of running a CO2-neutral operation by 2012, and investment in sustainable mobility is one way in which we will achieve this’, explains Ad Rutten, executive vice president and COO of Schiphol Group.
SkyNRG is helping airlines integrate the complete supply chain for s ustainable jet fuels in their short and long term business strategy. From feedstock-to-flight, the supply chain covers selection of sustainable feedstock, refining contracts, distribution to any airport in the world, quality assurance, airside fuel service and insurance,
For the month of November SkyNRG has been supplying Alaska Airlines with sustainable jet fuel made from recycled cooking oil supplied by Dynamic Fuels, a joint venture of Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corporation, The airline will operate 75 scheduled flights out of its hub Seattle using a 20 percent blend of biofuel and become the first U.S. airline to use sustainable jet fuel on regularly scheduled commercial flights.
Alaska launched its maiden biofuel-powered flight from Seattle to Washington D.C. on November. 9 followed by another flight by sister airline Horizon Air that took off for Portland, Oregon. The 28,500 gallons of fuel supplied by SkyNRG cost nearly six times more than conventional Jet-A1, or about $17 a gallon, because no large, stable supply of biofuels exists says the company.
The airline is part of Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest (SAFN), the first regional stakeholder effort in the U.S. to explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding the production of sustainable aviation fuels. The region has the diverse stocks for biofuels, delivery infrastructure and political will needed to create a viable biofuels industry according to its members that include Boeing and the port of Seattle.
SAFN cites a recent study that suggests developing a biofuels industry for the Pacific Northwest region would generate significant jobs and tax revenues. Producing 475 million gallons of biofuel would result in 23,000 new jobs, $4.1 billion in added GDP growth, $445 million in federal tax revenues, and $383 million for state and local governments.
“Partnering with SkyNRG and Epic on this project was a true demonstration of our collective will and commitment,” said Jay Long, Alaska Airlines’ director of fuel administration. “Despite numerous challenges along the way, we never lost sight of our overall goal of raising awareness of the need to support a sustainable and affordable aviation fuel alternative within the U.S. airline industry.”
According to the airline, if all Alaska and Horizon flights were powered with a 20 percent biofuel blend for one year, the annual emissions savings would represent the equivalent of taking nearly 64,000 cars off the road or providing electricity to 28,000 homes.
The new initiative marks the launch of a partnership between SkyNRG and EPIC Aviation, an aviation fuel supplier with 
operations throughout the US and Canada. Epic’s supply network of 400 locations utilizes major refineries, pipelines, railcars and terminals to serve 4,000 aviation-related customers.
“We have tried to make the entry barrier for airlines to embrace this new fuel era as low as possible“ says SkyNRG’s managing director Dirk Kronemeijer. “Being selected as supplier for Alaska Airlines proves that we are on the right track to help create this industry in North America together with our great partner Epic Aviation. As from today we are open for any request on sustainable jet fuel out of more than 400 Airport locations in North America,” adds Kronemeijer.
Coincident with the Epic deal Heliae, an Arizona-based algae technology company, has announced it is to produce algae-based jet fuel for SkyNRG.
While both companies acknowledged that a cost-competitive, large-scale supply of aviation fuel derived from algae is not yet a reality, they cited significant progress and a marketplace eager for an alternative supply of renewable fuel.
“We fully understand that algae-based jet fuel is in its infancy,” explains Kronemeijer. “But we firmly believe in algae’s promise as a source of truly renewable aviation fuel, and our aviation customers are, of course, very keen to see sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel that, in time, can be cost competitive. We see it as our mission to partner with firms like Heliae that are helping to make these alternatives a reality.
“Heliae’s team is developing the necessary technology to drive down the production costs of algae-based fuels to a level that legitimately competes with fossil fuels,” adds CEO Dan Simon.
Over in Hawaii, Boeing says it is to work with Hawai’i BioEnergy on renewable energy sources for creating aviation fuel.
Boeing and Hawai’i BioEnergy will look at various crops including sorghum and eucalyptus as potential sources that can be grown locally and converted to Jet-A1. The collaboration will also look to assess new supporting technologies for aviation biofuel production.
“As an Asia Pacific gateway and leading tourism destination, Hawaii can play a meaningful role in helping aviation reduce carbon emissions, while increasing regional energy resources,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of environment and aviation policy Billy Glover.
Only plant sources that don’t distort the global food chain, compete with fresh or crop water resources, or lead to unintended land use changes are being considered says the company.
Caption to Alaska Airlines picture: More than 800 million gallons of aviation fuel are consumed annually by commercial and military airplanes in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. By 2030, that fuel demand is projected to grow to more than 1 billion gallons per year.
Picture link for hi.res. download: http://splash.alaskasworld.com/Newsroom/ASnews/images/biofuel_flight_1.jpg
