Imperium Renewables said Tuesday that it has produced enough biomass-based jet fuel to start evaluating how well it can blend with traditional, petroleum-based jet fuel.
The Seattle biofuel producer uses a catalytic process being developed at the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that converts biomass-based alcohols into renewable "drop-in" jet fuel, the company said in a statement.
The company entered into the collaborative project in July 2010 and has advanced it to a scale where Imperium can partner with PNNL and LanzaTech "to develop renewable jet fuels from multiple feed stocks," CEO John Plaza said. The ultimate goal is to use the process commercially at Imperium's Grays Harbor, Washington, biodiesel facility, he said.
The DOE on August 31 awarded PNNL and LanzaTech of Roselle, Illinois, $4 million for technology that converts ethanol into jet fuel. LanzaTech is developing the first half of the process to convert biomass to intermediates such as alcohol, while PNNL is working with Imperium to convert LanzaTech's alcohols into an alternative jet fuel, the statement said.
The Imperium plant has capacity of 100 million gal/year and uses canola as a feedstock. The company's biodiesel is distributed to customers in Oregon and British Columbia, Imperium said, noting both the province and state have biodiesel mandates.
