16 June 2014
Details
Renewable jet fuel
developed by
Total & Amyris
meets newly updated ASTM Standard for Jet A/A1
Emeryville, CA and Paris, France, Monday, June 16, 2014
With the newly revised ASTM standard for jet fuel,
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) and Total (CAC: TOTF.PA)
today begin to prepare
to market a drop in jet fuel
that contains up to 10% blends of renewable farnesane.
Developed by
one of the world’s leading energy companies, and
an industrial bioscience company,
this new jet fuel blend meets
the rigorous performance requirements set for
Jet A/A-1 fuel used
by the global commercial aviation industry.
“The ability of this renewable jet fuel to
meet the criteria in the definitive standard
for use in commercial aviation
is a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration
between Amyris and Total.
It unleashes the potential of our renewable jet fuel
for the commercial aviation market,
said Philippe Boisseau,
Member of the Executive Committee of Total,
President of Marketing & Services and
New Energies divisions.
“The introduction of our green fuel
for the commercial aviation industry has the potential
to lead to a meaningful reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
with strong performance.
As one of the world’s biggest suppliers of aviation fuel,
one of Total’s objectives is
to make breakthrough jet fuel solutions widely available
to its airline customers, supporting their quest
to meet high sustainability objectives,” Boisseau added.
The revised standard, D7566,
developed by ASTM Committee
on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants,
now includes
the use of renewable farnesane as a blending component
in jet fuels for commercial aviation.
This latest version of ASTM D7566,
Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel
Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons,
will allow a biomass-based renewable jet fuel,
as developed by Amyris and Total,
to support the commercial airliners’ goal of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Conformance to ASTM D7566 enables us
to advance our ongoing discussions
with several of the major international airlines
seeking to fly commercial flights with renewable fuels
capable of reducing emissions and improving performance,”
said John Melo,
President & Chief Executive Officer of Amyris.
“With our partner Total, we are paving the way
for a new era for the aviation industry
by providing a drop-in, low carbon jet fuel solution
that will support the sustainability and
environmental goals set by the industry
without compromising performance.
Achieving conformance to this standard
in record time is a credit to
the disruptive potential of our technology and
the commitment of the global aviation industry
to support innovative solutions,” Melo concluded.
The ASTM standard
involved an end-to-end evaluation program
to verify and ensure that
the renewable jet fuel product is compatible with
aircraft and engine components and systems.
In collaboration with
key stakeholders of the aviation community,
Amyris and Total conducted a thorough test program,
from the investigation of key fuel properties
to evaluation of performance at scale
including multiple engine and flight tests.
This renewable fuel meets jet fuel strict specifications and
bears favorable properties such as
low freezing point, high thermostability and
high net heat of combustion.
The Brazilian fuels regulator, ANP,
has indicated it will include this renewable fuel as
option
among the other alternative aviation fuels
already allowed in the national specification.
As part of their ongoing collaboration since 2011,
Amyris and Total
have also worked to ensure that
the fuel be produced sustainably.
Earlier this year, the Roundtable on
Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)’s certified
Amyris’s first farnesene production facility in Brazil.
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
