Amyris and Total Petrochemicals announced a drop-in jet fuel that contains up to a 10% blend of renewable farnesane. Developed by Total, the new jet fuel blend meets the rigorous performance requirements set for Jet A/A-1 fuel used by the global commercial aviation industry.
The revised standard developed by ASTM Committee on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels and Lubricants now includes the use of renewable farsenane as a blending component in jet fuels for commercial aviation. This latest version of ASTM D7566, Standard Specifications for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons, will allow a biomass-based renewable jet fuel to support commercial airliners’ goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The ASTM standard involved an end-to-end evaluation program to verify and ensure that the renewable jet fuel product was compatible with aircraft and engine components and systems. Amyris and Total conducted a thorough test program, from the investigation of key fuel properties to evaluation of performance at scale including multiple engine and flight tests. The renewable fuel meets jet fuel strict specifications with properties such as low freezing point, high thermostability and high net heat of combustion. The Brazilian fuels regulator, ANP, indicated it will include the fuel among other aviation fuels already allowed in the national specification.
As part of an ongoing collaboration since 2011, Amyris and Total have worked to ensure that the fuel be produced sustainably. Earlier this year, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certified Amyris’s first farnesene production facility in Brazil.
For more information, visit: www.amyris.com
