LanzaTech wins US contract and at Paris Air Show

Clean energy technology company LanzaTech is at the world’s largest air show in Paris showing the aviation industry its technology for producing next generation jet fuels.

Dr Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech’s chief executive, says the aviation industry (both its commercial and military sectors) is keen to reduce its carbon footprint and is looking to low carbon fuels as an element of a basket of solutions to help achieve that target.

LanzaTech has just been awarded funds from the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to perform research focusing on novel, low cost routes for the production of jet fuel (JP-8) from carbon monoxide (CO) rich sources.

The project will focus on technology development to reduce costs for producing alcohol intermediates, which will be thermochemically converted to JP-8.

“The Department of Defense has set ambitious targets for alternative fuel use with the Air Force goal of 50% alternative fuel use in all its domestic flights, and the Navy’s objective to use 50% alternative fuel across all of its operations by 2020,” Dr Holmgren says.

Alternative aviation fuels are a key theme at the Paris Air Show this year. The New Zealand founded Lanzatech is part of the global exhibition showcase.

Dr Holmgren says biofuels produced through hydroprocessing of lipids recently received approval by ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials). The next biofuel expected to be certified will be fuel prepared from alcohols. LanzaTech is represented on an alcohols-to-jet (ATJ) task force, which is working on the certification process.

The efficient conversion of alcohols to aviation fuel has already been demonstrated by a number of groups. Dr Holmgren says a number of those routes for converting alcohols produce aromatics not just isoparaffins, which means there is a possibility of longer term certifying a fully synthetic aviation fuel (not just a blend stock).

“There is a need to stabilize the price of aviation fuel, which can only happen if there is more than one source of such fuels,” Dr Holmgren says. “However, the rapid adoption of alternative aviation fuels requires that they be sustainable in all dimensions – environmental, social and economic.
“LanzaTech provides a sustainable, cost-competitive route to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels by producing alcohols from CO-rich feedstocks, such as industrial off gases that have no impact on food or water security.”

Dr Holmgren says LanzaTech’s approach for the production of alcohols also results in a cost effective final aviation fuel.

“In order to deliver cost competitive aviation fuels from alcohols, the price of the alcohol must be driven to a very low number,” she says. “The reason for this is that ethanol to jet conversion requires that two gallons of alcohol be converted per gallon of jet fuel produced. Therefore the alcohol must be produced at a low enough cost that the 2x factor on a per gallon basis doesn't make the aviation fuel cost prohibitive.

“We believe that there are a number of handles which can further reduce the price of our alcohol such that the final aviation fuel will be cost competitive with petroleum derived fuels without incentives. DARPA’s support will enable us to continue to improve the economics of this unique technology platform, leading to an economically and environmentally sound approach to alternative aviation fuels.”