United Airlines has executed a definitive
purchase agreement with AltAir Fuels for sustainable, advanced
biofuels on a commercial scale.
With United’s strategic
partnership, AltAir Fuels will retrofit part of an existing
petroleum refinery to become a 30 million gallon, advanced biofuel
refinery near Los Angeles, California. AltAir will produce
low-carbon, renewable jet fuel and other renewable products.
United has collaborated with AltAir Fuels since 2009 and has
agreed to buy 15 million gallons of lower-carbon, renewable jet
fuel over a three-year period, with the option to purchase more.
The airline is purchasing the advanced biofuel at a price
competitive with traditional, petroleum-based jet fuel, and AltAir
expects to begin delivering five million gallons of renewable jet
fuel per year to United starting in 2014. United will use the biofuel on flights operating out of its Los Angeles hub (LAX).
“This is a great day for United and the aviation biofuels
industry. This agreement underscores United’s efforts to be a leader in alternative fuels as well as our efforts to lead
commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company,” said United’s Managing Director for Global Environmental Affairs
and Sustainability Jimmy Samartzis. “We’re excited about what this
strategic partnership with AltAir means for United, the industry,
the environment, and for our customers.”
AltAir’s Chief Executive
Officer Tom Todaro. “We cannot overestimate how important this
milestone is for the commercialization of sustainable aviation
biofuels, and we at AltAir are proud that United is our first
customer.”
Using Locally Developed Fuel at United’s
LAX Hub
AltAir has partnered with an existing oil refiner
for the operation of its first commercial facility and use of the
refiner’s existing refinery near Los Angeles.
The
partnership is taking idled refining equipment and retooling it to
increase the nation's energy supply – positively impacting the
southern California economy and providing the opportunity to
sustainably power LAX flights.
Through process technology
developed by Honeywell’s UOP, AltAir is retrofitting the existing
refinery to produce renewable biofuel. AltAir has worked
extensively with Honeywell’s UOP to demonstrate the commercial
viability of the Honeywell Green Jet process. Utilizing this
technology, licensed from UOP, the AltAir facility will be the
first refinery internationally to be capable of in-line production
of both renewable jet and diesel fuels. The facility will convert
non-edible natural oils and agricultural wastes into approximately
30 million gallons of low-carbon, advanced biofuels and chemicals
per year.
These advanced biofuels are drop-in replacements
for petroleum-based fuel, requiring no modification to
factory-standard engines or aircraft, with which they are fully
compatible. This fuel provides the same performance as
conventional, petroleum-based jet fuel. AltAir Fuels’ renewable
jet fuel is expected to achieve at least a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis.
"This
refinery is important for two timely and significant reasons,"
said AltAir’s President and COO Bryan Sherbacow. "First, the
industry is delivering on the promise of commercial production of
advanced biofuels that move beyond additives, like ethanol and
biodiesel, to drop-in, replacement low-carbon fuels. Second, this
project demonstrates the practical efficiencies these fuels allow
by fully integrating into an operating petroleum refinery."
United Airlines,
Fuel,
Biofuel,
Honeywell,
Los Angeles
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