The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it is awarding contracts to eight companies to further the development of alternative and sustainable sources for commercial jet fuel. The FAA funds, totaling $7.7 million, are being distributed by the Department of Transportation's John A. Volpe Center.
The chosen companies will help the FAA develop and approve ‘drop-in’ jet fuels that can be used without changing aircraft engine systems or airport fueling infrastructure. As part of that work, the companies will develop biofuels from such sources as alcohols, sugars, biomass, and organic materials known as pyrolysis oils. In addition, the contracts call for research into alternative jet fuel quality control, examination of how jet biofuels affect engine durability, and guidance to jet biofuel users about factors that affect sustainability.
A list of the awards is as follows:
- $1.1 million for Honeywell UOP of Des Plaines, Ill.;
- $3 million for LanzaTech Inc. of Roselle, Ill.;
- $1.5 million for Virent Energy Systems of Madison, Wisc.;
- $1.5 million for Velocys Inc. of Plain City, Ohio;
- $280,000 for Honeywell Aerospace of Phoenix;
- $250,000 for Metron Aviation Inc. of Dulles, Va.;
- $50,000 for Futurepast: Inc. of Arlington, Va.; and
- $25,000 for Life Cycle Associates LLC of Portola Valley, Calif.
