Foreword 

This month’s issue features several highly encouraging stories from the aviation sector. Aviation has been one of the tougher nuts for biofuels to crack, as the energetic demands of jet fuel are greater than those of conventional fuel as they must still operate at lower temperatures and pressures, but the problem remains that the aviation sector is one of the most significant contributors to carbon emissions worldwide. Biofuels currently offer the best decarbonisation option for commercial airlines, but in order to stimulate uptake there needs to be demonstration of the capabilities of aviation biofuels. There was been a steady rate of development in the biobased aviation fuels sector, with many small-scale trials, but there has been little policy support to aid the sector’s growth. Fortunately, biobased jet fuel seems to be gaining traction, and this month has seen a couple of firsts for the sector....

Other news this month includes:

Policy

• EU ENVI committee votes to phase out crop-based biofuels

Markets

• E10 becomes best selling fuel in France
• Novozymes bioenergy division shows increased biofuel sales
• Lallemund Biofuels acquires Lactic Solutions
• DuPont to sell Iowa ethanol plant
• BCC Research reports on liquid biofuels market​

Research & Development

• POET-DSM cracks ethanol pretreatment conundrum
• Australian scientists develop biofuels from crop waste
• More stable enzymes discovered for biofuel production
• E. coli employed to produce branched long-chain alcohols
• Abengoa to build USA's first plant for biofuels from municipal waste​

Bioethanol

• Bio-butanol plant set for 2018 opening

Biodiesel

• Coffee oil used to power London buses

Aviation Fuel

• Fly Green Day sees 8 airlines run on Gevo's biobased jet fuel
• KLM's Costa Rica flights to be biofuel-powered
• China's first intercontinental biofuel flight​

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