Tag Archives: sustainable
United Airlines To Use Biofuel In L.A. Flights By 2014
Published on Wednesday, 05 June 2013 By 2014, United Airlines will be using sustainable aviation biofuel on their flights departing from LAX. United has executed a definitive purchase agreement with AltAir Fuels to buy 15 million gallons of lower-carbon, renewable jet fuel over a three-year period, with the option to purchase more. AltAir expects to begin delivering five million gallons of renewable jet fuel per year to United starting 2014. “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. AltAir develops and operates projects for the production of low carbon fuels and chemicals derived from sustainable feedstock. As part of their strategic partnership with United, AltAir will retrofit part of an existing petroleum refinery to become a 30 million gallon advanced biofuel refinery near Los Angeles. “United Airlines has been a strategic partner for several years as we work to establish our biofuel facility,” said 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 a process technology developed by Honeywell’s UOP, the AltAir facility will convert non-edible natural oils and agricultural waste into renewable jet and diesel fuels. These advanced biofuels will be drop-in replacements for petroleum-based fuel, providing the same performance with at least a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis. The agreement with AltAir is in line with United Airlines’ commitment to sustainable aviation. A signatory to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, United signed a pledge to pursue the advancement of drop-in biofuels that achieve important sustainability criteria, work with leading organizations to achieve biofuel certification standards and take actions to enable commercial use of aviation biofuels. In 2009, United became the first North American carrier to perform a two-engine aircraft flight demonstration using fuel derived from algae and jatropha. They also operated the first flight by a North American commercial airline using synthetic fuel made from natural gas in 2010 and in 2011 operated the first U.S. commercial flight power by advanced biofuels from Huston to Chicago. – EcoSeed Staff Continue reading
Sustainable Agriculture — No Silver Bullets, But Maybe Some Silver Buckshot
by Elton Robinson in Farm Press Blog Agriculture’s future challenge is to provide enough food to feed 9 billion people by 2050. Environmental groups are sure to want more rules and regulations, but these rules cannot handcuff agriculture’s freedom to innovate, say experts. Producing enough food to feed 9 billion people by 2050 could be the biggest test sustainable agriculture has ever faced. The difficulty is balancing the preservation of natural resources with the technological development needed to meet these goals. To get it done, David Cleary, director of agriculture for The Nature Conservancy, says there must be collaboration between agriculture and environmentalism. During a panel discussion on sustainability at Monsanto’s Media Days, Cleary clearly understands that, well, we’re all in this together. “It is critical for the health of the world’s food system that the American agricultural system maintains yield and productivity gains over the past 40 years to 50 years,” Cleary said. “It’s also critical for the health of the world’s food system that the United States continues to play its historical role as the biggest center for technological innovation.” On the other hand, Cleary is unapologetic in blaming agriculture for not paying enough attention to the environment in the past. “Historically, yield and productivity gains have been bought at the expense of topsoil. You can extend that to water as well. The science is pretty unambiguous if you’re looking at hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, or algal blooms in the Great Lakes. There is an agricultural contribution to that. “Looking forward, I think there has to be some kind of grand bargain between agriculture and the environmental side of the equation. There’s a huge amount of devil in the detail. It’s not as though there is a single silver bullet. But there may be some silver buckshot. There are solutions out there that we can deploy.” Rick Tolman, chief executive officer, National Corn Growers Association, cited recent studies indicating that U.S. corn producers have discovered and implemented quite a few nuggets of agricultural sustainability over the last 30 years. “Since 1980, the land that it takes to produce one bushel of corn has declined by 30 percent, the soil loss per bushel has declined by 67 percent, the water used to irrigate a bushel of corn by 53 percent and the energy use to produce a bushel of corn has been reduced by 43 percent. “We have made continued improvement, we still have room to grow and improvement will continue. It’s been a great story of sustainability and it has been done scientifically,” Tolman said. The next 35 years will demand that agriculture continue to shrink its environmental footprint while doubling food production. Environmentalists are sure to want more rules and regulations. Agriculture – the freedom to be innovative. “We need to be very careful that we don’t take away the solutions to the problem,” Tolman said. “Some well-meaning proposals would take away some of the tools that have allowed farmers to intensify agriculture.” Hopefully, the twain shall meet in a reasonable place for everyone. Continue reading
Time For Europe To Embrace ‘Affordable, Sustainable’ Energy Solutions
Published 29 May 2013 The European Union should embrace new renewable solutions such as gas fermentation technologies to advance towards a low-carbon economy, argues Jennifer Holmgren. Jennifer Holmgren is chief executive of LanzaTech , which has developed a biological fermentation process that transforms industrial waste gases and residues into fuels and chemicals. Pressed by Europe’s economic crisis, EU leaders at a recent summit called for “affordable and sustainable energy” to underpin the EU’s “competitiveness, jobs and growth”. Many see this as wishful thinking, and argue for a relaxation of the club’s ambitious 2020 energy and emissions reduction targets. If the EU is to weather the crisis and emerge stronger and more competitive than ever, energy policies need to be looking resolutely forward, not back. Technologies are advancing faster than the policies designed to harness them. The EU is debating amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive and Fuel Quality Directive to include sustainability criteria. These criteria could help determine whether Europe can indeed meet its 2020 targets. If policies can catch up with science, sustainable energy can fuel Europe’s growth. Researchers in many different fields have made working out the conundrum of affordable and sustainable energy their priority for years now. Their investments are paying off. A number of new technologies are questioning our perceptions of waste for example, by turning greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into a valuable resource, and the potential is vast and varied. It is part of a growing trend among researchers who say why capture and bury these gases – a technique supported by EU policies– when you can recycle them into valuable commodities? The EU’s 2020 target to source 10% of Europe’s transport fuel from renewables, is reachable by deploying a variety of existing and new technologies, including gas fermentation which captures carbon-rich waste and residues from European manufacturers and recycles it into biofuel in a closed loop system. These processes allow industries not only to reduce their carbon footprint, but moreover to convert this liability into a valuable green commodity, and be at the forefront of a greener, more sustainable economy. This kind of economy supports green growth for industry, preserving and creating jobs across Europe as manufacturers and industry invest in green technologies while maintaining a healthy bottom line. The old argument that a cleaner, greener economy and job-creation are mutually exclusive just doesn’t hold water anymore. Greening a traditional industry by deployment of a gas fermentation facility at a steel plant for example can create 40 to 50 jobs. CleanTech also boosts foreign direct investment, with global supply chain partners and customers ready to finance and build plants in Europe. Furthermore, increased efficiency and reduced dependence on fossil imports reinforce energy security, and help reduce costs. It is crucial that Europe, in its role as global leader in the fight against climate change, embrace these technologies. Looking beyond 2020, they are an important part of the equation if the EU is to meet its commitments to reduce GHGs 95% by 2050. As Commission President José Manuel Barroso said at the summit, however, there is no silver bullet solution. In its drive for a more sustainable economy, Europe needs to assess all technologies over time and not stop with one policy. There is a high risk for policies focusing on one or a few technologies that may not work in the long run or produce unintended consequences in the future. There is a need to de-risk those policies by diversifying but also coordinating the different policies to further support deployment of clean technologies. Many policymakers and researchers have rightly argued that the solution to climate change requires a wide range of measures. Why not expand the concept of renewable energy beyond solar, wind and other means of harnessing the forces of nature? You need carbon to produce liquid fuels and chemicals – and we can source this from wastes and residues from industry in Europe today. Why not look at what up to now has been seen as a burden we’d just like to go away or bury, and see greenhouse gases as an opportunity, as one solution in a complex equation to ensure a more sustainable, growing economy? Continue reading
