LanzaTech has secured a contract worth US $3 million from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in order to speed up the availability of the alternative aviation fuel, commercially.
The company’s clean technology has allowed for sustainable chemical and alcohol production at a low cost from the waste gas resources.
The technology from Swedish Biofuels, a partner of LanzaTech, is used to convert these alcohols to jet fuel, which is completely equal to petroleum jet fuel, or can be mixed together with petroleum.
The chief executive of the company, Dr Jennifer Holmgren, has stated that the commercialization of alcohol to jet (AJT) technologies will be speeded up by this program by offering data of critical fuel and evaluating the production opportunities in the US.
She added that the company will release fresh fuel feedstock resources, which can be utilized to facilitate the civilian and military aviation divisions to meet the cost and carbon objectives.
Synthesis gas, which is obtained from lignin, and heavy industry gases are employed in this project. The lignin usage has opened a recent biomass waste stream to produce economic jet fuel.
Battelle and Imperium in Washington will join LanzaTech and will appraise the capability of the commercial production locations and resources in the US. The life cycle advantages of the integration method will be evaluated by Michigan Technological University.
The project’s main aim is to generate alternative jet fuels for more than gallons for analysis by the US Air Force Research Laboratory.
Swedish Biofuels’ Managing Director, Professor Angelica Hull, has commented that the project has targeted increasing the raw material base to make alternative aviation fuels.