The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be working with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop biomass aviation fuel.
The two departments have signed a five year agreement to bring together experts in research, policy, and air transportation. The agencies will look into developing fuel from forest and crop residues and green feedstocks that could be processed by bio-refineries to produce cost-effective jet fuels.
The agencies will create a tool that will examine the different components of a feedstock supply chain, including the availability of biomass from farms and forests, how well biomass will function to create jet fuel, and how long it be before full-scale production can take place.
The agreement will make use of both agencies’ existing programs and agreements with private and public partners and resources. It will guide biofuel research for public and private sectors, including commercial aviation, military transport, and other aviation activities.
The agreement is part of a larger research plan that is led by USDA’s five regional biomass research centers. USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) reports that use of cost-competitive domestic biofuels will reduce the importing crude oil imports and decrease aviation energy prices.
The agencies’ plan will help the biofuel industry become more productive. Like many alternative energy sources, biomass is seen as an industry whose costs decrease as the technology develops. This helps to improve the overall productivity of the U.S. economy. The plan will also include as many rural areas in the U.S. as possible in order to maximize biofuel’s economic benefits across the country.
Image credit: xlibber via Flickr
Alison Pruitt is a freelance writer/editor living near Washington DC. She has written about a variety of issues, including education, healthcare, IT, the arts, and energy/environment -- and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy. She has a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Rutgers University.
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