Singapore, 04 February 2010
A*STAR's Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) is entering into a collaborative project with EADS, a global leader in aerospace and defence, to investigate the conversion of algae oil to kerosene for jet fuel. The agreement has been signed by Dr. PK Wong, Deputy Director (Research) of ICES and Mr. Yann Barbaux, Head of EADS Innovation Works, witnessed by representatives from both parties. This collaboration is a follow up on the Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) signed by EADS and A*STAR on 20 February 2008.
The objective of this 12 month collaboration is to assess the potential for microalgae to be a renewable source of fuel for aircraft and to investigate the conversion of algae oil to kerosene for use as jet fuel.
Air transportation is a vital contributor to development and to global economic growth. The aviation sector accounts for 2-3 per cent of man-made CO2 emissions, and although this may be a small proportion, EADS recognises that growth in air transportation must be sustainable. So far, fuel burn has been kept down by improving aircraft and engine efficiency and a more radical solution is the use of bio-fuels made from sustainable and renewable sources such as algae.
Plant derived biofuels can be considered as renewable fuel since plants 'fix' atmospheric carbon dioxide as they grow, which is then released when the biofuel is combusted. There is no net contribution to greenhouse gas emissions over the long term, unlike the combustion of conventional fossil fuels. However, the area productivity of most of the traditional plants used as bioenergy crops is too low to be a viable source of the feedstock used for making biofuel.
Microalgae are much more efficient than plants at converting solar energy and carbon dioxide into fixed biomass. This brings the possibility of using microalgae in renewable production of hydrocarbon fuels that is not in competition with food production for scarce land resources.
There is significant interest across multiple sectors in the potential of microalgae as an energy source. They have the potential to produce nearly 90,000 litres of oil per hectare per year. Microalgae grow rapidly (doubling in biomass in as little as a few hours), require limited nutrients to thrive, but technological breakthroughs are needed for them to become viable. Some microalgae contain high levels of oil content which can be used as the feedstock for making jet fuel, for example by separation of fatty acids, hydrogenation and hydro-cracking.
Mr. Yann Barbaux, Head of EADS Innovation Works, stated: "As a systems architect of airplanes, it is our responsibility to foster research on biofuels, even if we are not directly involved in the energy business. This collaboration with A*STAR will add the impressive skills, efficiency and determination of the Singaporean research and technology community to our efforts."
Dr Keith Carpenter, Executive Director of ICES, commented, "I am happy that we can collaborate with EADS on this project. We hope that we can prove to the world that microalgae can be the solution for much cheaper and much more efficient source of fuel that can benefit the aviation industry and make air travel more environmentally sustainable."
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