Using a 20 percent blend of alternative jet fuel produced from wood, Alaska Airlines sent a passenger flight across the United States from Seattle to Washington’s National Airport in a breakthrough for bio-energy. The airline said the alternative fuel, made from “forest residuals” remaining after timbering, produces from 50-80 percent fewer greenhouse gases than petroleum fuel when calculated on a life-cycle basis.
Gevo Inc., a member of an alliance working on alternative fuels from woody sources, converted the wood waste into cellulosic sugars and then further processed it into its Alcohol-to-Jet fuel. “Using forest residuals for biofuel feedstock is exciting because it does not compete with food production; air pollution is cut by reducing slash pile burning; removal of residuals prepares the forest floor for replanting; and the new industry of woody biomass collection and conversion helps create jobs in rural economies,” said Alaska Airlines.
The USDA awarded a $39.6-million grant to the alternative jet fuel project, produced through the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, led by Washington State University.
The flight, AS 4, a Boeing 737, carried 163 passengers and was greeted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. If Alaska Airlines used the 20 percent fuel mix for all its fuel at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, the savings in greenhouse gases would equal the reduction from taking 30,000 passenger cars off the road.