European Environmental Agency: report on vehicle emissions published

Despite improvements in vehicle efficiencies over past decades, EEA (European Environmental Agency) reports show that the road transport sector is responsible for almost one fifth of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. It also contributes to high concentrations of air pollutants above EU standards in many of Europe’s cities. The new EEA report, ‘Explaining road transport emissions: a non-technical guide’, gives a simplified explanation of the often complex information available on road transport emissions as well as the technologies to reduce them.
Standardized measurements are made in laboratories to check that vehicles meet the official requirements for exhaust emissions. However, the official procedures currently used in Europe are not representative of real driving conditions. For certain pollutants, there is a significant difference between official emission measurements and vehicle performance on the road. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), a major air pollutant which harms health and the environment, can be more than seven times higher under real world driving conditions for new vehicles than in official tests. New vehicles similarly can emit up to 40 % more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than official measurements would indicate.

Source: eea
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AMFI Newsletter 4/2015

The current issue of the AMFI newsletter has been released. Advanced Motor Fuels (AMF) is one of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) transportation related Implementing Agreements. Information on IEA’s structure for energy technology related R&D and IEA’s Technology Agreements can be found at www.iea.org.

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Virent says Rolls-Royce testing shows its renewable jet fuel cuts harmful particulates

US-based Virent says testing of its blended jet biofuel product shows a greater than 50% reduction in particulate matter emissions compared to conventional jet. Testing was carried out by Rolls-Royce and supported by the FAA under the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise programme. The emissions data and other successfully completed test results have been summarised and published in a report by Rolls-Royce, British Airways and the FAA.
Virent’s patented technology features catalytic chemistry to convert plant-based materials into a range of fuels and chemicals. The company says the fuel produced at its pilot demonstration plant in Wisconsin contains aromatics that are cleaner burning than conventional jet fuels.
Virent is actually developing two jet fuel products: Hydrodeoxygenated Synthesized Kerosene (SK), which consists of C9-C16 paraffins and naphthenes, and Hydrodeoxygenated Synthesized Aromatic Kerosene (SAK), which consists of C9-C11 aromatics. The BioForm process then blends the two products to produce the required chemical properties for jet fuel.
In 2011, Virent received a federal award of $13.4 million from the US Department of Energy to develop its catalytic process to convert corn stover to jet fuel. The technology development is currently being supported by strategic partners Cargill, Coca-Cola, Honda and Shell.

Source: greenaironline
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Virent: Collaboration with Tesoro for Low Carbon Fuels and Chemicals

Virent has entered into a strategic relationship with Tesoro to accelerate the development and commercialization of Virent’s BioForming technology to produce low-carbon, drop-in, bio-based fuels and chemicals. The agreement provides funding to Virent to advance its commercialization while establishing a framework for Tesoro to provide broader support and involvement in Virent’s deployment efforts longer term.
“Virent’s technology produces high quality products including chemicals and fuels that are compatible with our existing infrastructure and meet our customers’ demand for lower carbon fuels.” said CJ Warner, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Tesoro. “Tesoro’s plan embraces innovative approaches to provide low carbon fuels for many of the largest fuel markets in the U.S., while utilizing the existing refining and logistics infrastructure” said Lee Edwards, Virents CEO.

Source: Virent
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Japan Airlines to build biofuel plant

Japan Airlines (JAL) is building its first demonstration complex in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, aiming to get the fuel ready for use in their aircraft by 2020. The company, together with other companies and organizations, including Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is researching the design for the plant, whose cost is estimated to be a little less than $42 million, reported Nikkei. Hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced in a waste disposal plant in Chiba will be converted into aircraft fuel using catalytic agents. JAL also plans to market this new technology through a foreign company that could reduce the estimated price of fuel made from waste to about $120 a barrel, at par with the price of kerosene, in large scale production. JAL's parent airline All Nippon Airways, or ANA Holdings, has also announced plans to sell biofuel made from algae in collaboration with Euglena in 2020.

Source: EFE
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Sustainable Alternative Fuels in the European Aviation Environmental Report

The uptake of sustainable alternative fuels in the aviation sector is very slow, but assumed to play a large role in reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.
The European Advanced Biofuels Flightpath provides a roadmap to achieve an annual production rate of 2 million tonnes of sustainably produced biofuel for civil aviation by 2020. European commercial flights have trialed sustainable alternative fuels. However regular production of sustainable aviation alternative fuels is projected to be very limited in the next few years, and thus it is unlikely that the roadmap 2020 target will be achieved.

Source: EASA
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Gevo Signs Licensing and Joint Development Agreements With Porta

Gevo, Inc. announced that it has entered into a license agreement and a joint development agreement with Porta Hnos S.A. to construct multiple isobutanol plants in Argentina using corn as a feedstock. The first plant is to be owned by Porta and is anticipated to begin producing isobutanol in 2017. The plant is expected to have a capacity of up to five million gallons of isobutanol per year. The agreements also contemplate Porta constructing at least three additional isobutanol plants for certain of their existing ethanol plant customers. As one of the leading engineering service providers to the ethanol industry in Argentina, Porta would provide services for the projects.

About Gevo: Gevo has developed technology that uses a combination of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering to focus primarily on the production of isobutanol, as well as related products from renewable feedstocks. Gevo has also developed technology to produce hydrocarbon products from renewable alcohols. Gevo currently operates a biorefinery in Silsbee, Texas, in collaboration with South Hampton Resources Inc., to produce renewable jet fuel, octane, and ingredients for plastics like polyester.

Source: Gevo
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