“The successful Air Force flight is another demonstration of the high quality and performance of camelina-based jet fuels made by Sustainable Oils,” said Tom Todaro, CEO of Sustainable Oils. “Our domestically grown and produced biofuels increase revenue and jobs in rural America, decrease emissions and help reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil. Nothing could be more important for our economy, environment and national security.”
“This sortie was pretty uneventful and predictable…that’s a good thing,” said the test pilot, Maj. Chris Seager, who monitored his gauges and engine performance during the flight. “It was a real privilege to be part of this ground-breaking demonstration.”
In October 2009, Sustainable Oils was awarded a contract by the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) to supply camelina-based jet fuel to the Air Force. The contract was for 100,000 gallons of HRJ-8 beginning 2009 through 2010, and includes an option to purchase an additional 100,000 gallons between June 2010 and December 2012. The Air Force plans for a second feasibility demonstration this summer using an F-15 Eagle to test performance parameters. A C-17 Globemaster III will be tested because of the amount of fuel it consumes and an F-22 Raptor test is planned because of the aircraft's complexity. The latter two tests are scheduled to occur later this year.
“The Air Force is committed to reducing our reliance on foreign oil,” said Terry Yonkers, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics at the conclusion of the test flight. “Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption.”
Camelina was selected for initial testing by the military because it does not compete with food crops, has been proven to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent, and has already been successfully tested in a commercial airline test flight. In addition, camelina has naturally high oil content, is drought tolerant and requires less fertilizer and herbicides. It is an excellent rotation crop with wheat, and it can also grow on marginal land.
Camelina is the most readily available renewable fuel feedstock that meets the Air Force’s criteria, with the ability to scale up acreage to meet demand. The camelina for the contract and historic test flight was primarily grown in 2009 and harvested in
Sustainable Oils has the largest camelina research program in the nation. The company’s camelina breeding program began in 2005 and has steadily expanded to include more than 140 trials across North America from 2005-2009. The company is also evaluating more than 90 breeding populations of camelina to analyze agronomic and oil qualities and to develop new high-yielding varieties. Sustainable Oils leverages biotechnology resources from its Seattle-based agricultural biotech parent company Targeted Growth.
Camelina has also been proven to significantly reduce carbon emissions in aviation fuel. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of jet fuel created from camelina conducted at Michigan Tech University in conjunction with UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company, and Sustainable Oils found that the renewable fuel reduces carbon emissions by 80 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel.
About Sustainable Oils
Sustainable Oils, LLC is a producer and marketer of renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based renewable fuels. A joint venture between Targeted Growth, Inc., a renewable energy bioscience company, and Green Earth Fuels, a vertically integrated biodiesel energy company, Sustainable Oils is focused on the continued research and development of dedicated energy crops such as camelina. Sustainable Oils solidly supports both agricultural and green energy initiatives with camelina, which is efficiently and economically grown even on marginal lands, harvested with traditional equipment, and requires minimal water. More information is available at www.susoils.com.
Contact:
Scoville Public Relations
John Williams, 206-625-0075 x1
jwilliams@scovillepr.com
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