Guidelines for Integrating Alternative Jet Fuel into the Airport Setting (2012) / Chapter Skim
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From page 69... ...
Appendices: Primer on Alternative Jet Fuels
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From page 70... ...
This primer on alternative jet fuels presents a review and synthesis of available relevant information on alternative jet fuels and their adoption for use in the airport setting. The objective is to create a concise and comprehensive guide on the key aspects of alternative fuels that will affect airport application, thus providing a helpful reference guide to the airport manager and other stakeholders along the supply chain of alternative fuels.
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From page 71... ...
. Furthermore, there have been numerous examples of flight tests by commercial and military aircraft using alternative jet fuels made with different technologies and feedstocks.
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. Certification and Drop-In Capability of Alternative Jet Fuels 73 Date Airline or Other Sponsor Aircraft EngineMaker Fuel Producer Feedstock Technology Source Feb 2008 Airbus A380 RollsRoyce Shell Natural gas FischerTropsch Airbus 2011 Dec 2008 Air New Zealand B747300 RollsRoyce UOP Jatropha HEFA Warwick 2009 Jan 2009 Continental B737800 GE/CFMI UOP Jatropha, algae HEFA DOE 2009 Jan 2009 Japan Airlines B747300 Pratt & Whitney UOP Camelina, Jatropha, algae HEFA Mecham2008 Oct 2009 Qatar A340600 RollsRoyce Shell Natural gas FischerTropsch Qatar Airways 2011 Nov 2009 KLM B747400 GE UOP Camelina HEFA North Sea Group 2011 Apr 2010 United A319 IAE Rentech Natural gas FischerTropsch Kuhn 2009 Nov 2010 TAM A320 CFMI UOP Jatropha HEFA Karp 2010 Apr 2011 InterJet (Mexico)
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From page 73... ...
Bio-derived feedstocks include plant oils, animal fats, crop residues, woody biomass, municipal solid waste, and other organic material. Each has relative strengths and weaknesses for the production of alternative jet fuel.
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From page 74... ...
Year-to-year contracts common in agricultural commodities do not offer this advantage for long-term planning. C.1.3 Environmental Considerations The life-cycle GHG footprint of alternative jet fuels from other fossil fuels can be two to three times that of conventional jet fuel (see Box 2)
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From page 75... ...
While HEFA and biodiesel are decidedly different products with different applications, the experience of the biodiesel industry illustrates the potential opportunities and challenges associated with the use of vegetable oils and animal fats as feedstock for alternative aviation fuels. C.2.1 Sources and Availability Many different plant oils can be used to make alternative jet fuel, including food oils such as soybean, canola, palm, sunflower, and coconut oil and nonfood oils such as Camelina, Jatropha, algae, and pennycress (Eidman 2007; Paulson and Ginder 2007; Carriquiry and Babcock 2008; IATA 2009; Moser 2009; USDA 2010i)
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From page 76... ...
, frying oils, and greases may also be used to produce alternative jet fuel. Expanding the use of frying oils and greases may represent a potential alternative fuel feedstock.
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. C.2.3 Environmental Considerations Alternative jet fuels from plant oils and fats may have a lower life-cycle GHG footprint compared to conventional jet fuel; however, the life-cycle GHG footprint of alternative jet fuels from plant oils is very dependent on land use.
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From page 78... ...
Some strains of algae have the potential to produce more than 30 times the amount of oil per acre per year than any other plant currently used to produce alternative fuels. C.2.5 Disadvantages Oil-based alternative jet fuel feedstocks will likely have high costs, similar to biodiesel.
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From page 79... ...
Absent production on marginal lands, energy crops will have to compete for land use with current agriculture production activities and provide a return to producers at least equal to current production. Agriculture residues such as corn stover and wheat straw have an economic advantage over dedicated energy crops because they are by-products of corn and wheat production.
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C.3.3 Environmental Considerations Assumptions about life-cycle analysis and land use can have a bearing on the life-cycle GHG footprint of alternative jet fuels made from biomass feedstocks. In order to prevent competing uses for land, dedicated energy crops will need to be grown on land that is marginal for traditional agriculture.
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From page 81... ...
Examples of potential secondgeneration feedstocks are agricultural residues such as wheat straw and corn stover, dedicated energy crops such as switchgrass, woody biomass, municipal solid waste, alternative oilseed feedstocks such algae and Jatropha, and nonfood oilseeds such as mustard seed and Camelina. However, in order for second-generation feedstocks, with the exception of agricultural crop residues, to have no impact on food or feed production, they would have to be cultivated on land not currently used or suitable for traditional agriculture production.
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From page 82... ...
Furthermore, it needs to be noted that some may perceive use of MSW for fuel as competing with existing recycling programs by diverting waste that would otherwise be recycled to fuel production. Feedstocks for Producing Alternative Jet Fuels 83
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. D.1 Fischer-Tropsch One process for producing alternative fuels of all kinds, not just jet fuel, is the Fischer-Tropsch process.
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Bio-SPK (HEFA) SPK Vegetable oil/ animal fat Coal/natural gasBiomass Fossil fuel feedstocks Esterification Fischer-Tropsch synthesis Figure 9.
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Key challenges for HEFA technology are the restricted supply of plant oils and the resulting high price of these oils for alternative jet fuel production; however, as production of plant oils increases and the supply chains of these feedstocks strengthen, the potential exists for HEFA production to become commercially viable. Incentives and long-term supply contracts may be required to help this industry get started and grow.
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From page 86... ...
SPK (PRJ) Vegetable oil/ animal fat Coal/natural gas Biomass Fossil fuel feedstocks Fermentation/ hydrolysis Pyrolysis/ liquefaction Cellulose conversion Esterifi- cation Fischer-Tropsch synthesis Biodiesel (FAME)
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From page 87... ...
Second, PM emissions may be lower. Reductions in NOx have been documented for alternative ground fuels relative to conventional diesel fuel, but there is no current evidence to suggest that the same benefit extends to alternative jet fuels.
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From page 88... ...
Figure 13 shows the results of an analysis of life-cycle GHG emissions for a variety of alternative fuels, including HEFA/HRJ, alternative (green) diesel, FT Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Benefits 89 Pathway B io m as s Cr ed it R ec ov er y Fe ed st oc k Tr an sp or t Pr oc es si ng Fu el Tr an sp or t Co m bu st io n W TT N 20 W TT C H 4 La nd -U se Ch an ge To ta l Crude to conventional jet fuel 0 4.2 1.5 5.5 0.8 73.2 0.1 2.3 0 87.5 Crude to ULS jet fuel 0 4.2 1.5 7.3 0.8 72.9 0.1 2.4 0 89.1 Oil sands to jet fuel 0 19 1.3 5.5 0.5 73.2 0.1 3.1 0 102.7 Oil shale to jet fuel 0 41.2 0.6 3.3 0.6 73.2 0.2 2.5 0 121.5 Natural gas to FT fuel 0 4.6 0 20.2 1.2 70.4 0 4.6 0 101 Coal to FT fuel with (without)
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From page 89... ...
Alternative jet fuel made from Jatropha also has a lower life-cycle GHG footprint compared to conventional jet fuel. Airports are encouraged to conduct or request from potential fuel producers detailed LCA analysis to determine the life-cycle carbon footprint of the fuels they intend to produce and the processes they intend to use.
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From page 90... ...
As alternative fuels are being qualified as blends with petroleum-based jet fuel, the alternative components of these fuels are essentially sulfur-free. Benefits of alternative fuel regarding PM2.5 emissions have been measured by the USAF and by commercial tests.
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From page 91... ...
However, if the feedstock has little or no alternative market, as is the case with agricultural residues, the sale of these feedstocks to an alternative fuels processing facility would represent a new revenue source for farmers. Accordingly, payments for feedstocks without established markets would be included in the estimate of regional economic impacts.
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In this context, the resulting employment estimates appear reasonable. F.5 Differences in Study Areas Demographic and infrastructure characteristics of the local area that is home to an alternative fuels production facility will also affect regional economic impacts.
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It is important to note that one of the most problematic sources of emissions that may lead to a violation of a SIP is emissions from construction equipment. Alternative jet fuels may help airports in NAAs meet the goals specified in SIPs because of their potential to have lower emissions levels of criteria pollutants such as SOx, NOx, and PM as compared to conventional jet fuel.
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. These documents can also be of value to airports interested in a better understanding of the process of determining the life-cycle GHG footprint of alternative jet fuels and of overall compliance with Section 526.
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. The industry realizes that alternative jet fuels with a life-cycle GHG footprint smaller than conventional jet fuel can help airlines meet their carbonneutral growth goals.
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Project developers need to take into account that different financial supporters have different attitudes toward risk and require different kinds of assurances before committing to support a venture. H.1 Sources of Finance Project developers of alternative jet fuel production facilities can seek funding from both private- and public-sector organizations and may use a mixture of both to create a viable finance structure.
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These stakeholders may include users of the alternative jet fuel as well as users of alternative diesel, renewable electric power, and other by-products. 98 Guidelines for Integrating Alternative Jet Fuel into the Airport Setting
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A good starting point for evaluating business cases for aviation alternative fuels is the information from demonstration projects [see Appendix J and IATA (2009)
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The following subsections outline and present the important points associated with these three regulatory elements. I.1 FAA Policy and Regulatory Framework The FAA compiles and maintains a number of documents, including FAA Advisory Circulars, FAA Orders, and references to other documents that must be considered when assessing the viability of alternative fuel infrastructure.
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Management • Environmental Desk Reference for Airport Actions As with any airport facility, fuel production and storage facilities must comply with FAA AC 5300-13, Airport Design (FAA 1989) , which contains definitions for RPZs and ROFAs (see Figure 15 and Figure 16)
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While these recommendations are not mandatory, they are very closely followed by all major airlines and airports in the United States. I.1.2 Airport Improvement Program Applicability Any costs associated with alternative jet fuel production are not AIP eligible.
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Furthermore, since the production of alternative fuels is not an aeronautical activity, any leases will need to be at fair market value. Ancillary project elements, such as site preparation and utilities, may be eligible for AIP funding.
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. will be expended by it for the capital or operating costs of the airport; the local airport system; or other local facilities which are owned or operated by the owner or operator of the airport and which are directly and substantially related to the actual air transportation of passengers or property; or for noise mitigation purposes on or off the airport." Consequently, revenues from the sale of alternative jet fuel would have to be re-invested in the airport or airport system in order to meet grant assurances.
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From page 104... ...
This must occur thoroughly before FAA makes a decision on approving an alternative jet fuel facility. For alternative jet fuel projects on-airport, airports should refer to FAA Order 1050.1E, which is the FAA's umbrella guidance for NEPA compliance.
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Nevertheless, there are a few general observations that can help airports evaluate alternative fuel projects with respect to zoning: 106 Guidelines for Integrating Alternative Jet Fuel into the Airport Setting Jurisdiction Type of Permit City and county Building Preliminary/final plat Grading Water system Shoreline Right of way Utility Site plan review Septic system Floodplain development Variance (zoning, shoreline, etc.) Outdoor burning State Dept.
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From page 106... ...
Because of this risk, incorporating adequate lead time is absolutely necessary to meet all permitting requirements and not to incur delays in project coordination, planning, design, engineering, site preparation, construction, and inspection necessary for the development of alternative fuel infrastructure. Front-end planning for permitting with appropriate time buffers for areas of risk or uncertainty will allow for some flexibility in schedule adherence given the numerous permitting requirements that will inevitably vary with selection of a particular site.
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From page 107... ...
This program may provide valuable information to airports interested in integrating alternative jet fuel projects into their sustainability initiatives. • Programs to fund studies and other nonrecurring investments in alternative fuels The following programs exist at the federal, state, or local levels: – 2008 USDA Budget Authorization, section 9000 for renewable energy proposed rules associated with BCAP (USDA 2010c)
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From page 108... ...
• Public/Private Partnerships and Coalitions Several organizations focused on the development and deployment of alternative jet fuels have been formed over the past few years. These include: – Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative: CAAFI is a coalition of government and private-sector organizations, including the FAA Office of Environment and Energy; AIA, representing manufacturers; ATA, representing airlines; and ACI–NA, representing airports (CAAFI 2010)
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From page 109... ...
. SAFN just published a detailed report analyzing and evaluating the potential for alternative jet fuel production in their region (SAFNW 2011b)
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From page 110... ...
, there will have to be a place in the supply chain, prior to reaching the wing of the aircraft, where alternative and petroleum-based jet fuels are blended. This will most likely consist of separate storage for conventional jet fuel, alternative jet fuel, and the blend.
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Altair fuel production is planned to begin in the fourth 112 A P P E N D I X K Publicly Announced Aviation Alternative Fuel Projects
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British Airways hopes to recruit other airlines into this venture. Publicly Announced Aviation Alternative Fuel Projects 113
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