In the United States (US), Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) and Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG), a joint venture between Chevron U.S.A Inc., and McDermott have announced that ASTM International has approved a new production pathway for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) called “Catalytic Hydrothermolysis Jet,” or CHJ. The new annex allows the blending of up to 50 percent of ARA and CLG’s "ReadiJet" with petroleum-derived jet fuel.
ASTM D7566 Annex A6 was approved on December 15, 2019, and was published in the revised specification for “Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons,” ASTM D7566-19b on January 29, 2020.
The new annex allows the blending of up to 50 percent of ARA and CLG’s ReadiJet with petroleum-derived jet fuel. ReadiJet is produced by the Biofuels ISOCONVERSION process, which is jointly developed by ARA and CLG. CLG serves as the single point of contact for licensing and engineering of Biofuels ISOCONVERSION.
Commercial volumes of competitively priced sustainable aviation fuel are in demand. The aviation sector is working hard to improve its carbon footprint and the approval of the CHJ pathway adds another great option. We are excited to play our part by accelerating the scaling of sustainable aviation fuels. said Chuck Red, ARA’s Vice President of Fuels Development.
Proprietary process
Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology consists of hydrothermal conversion and hydrotreating operations that convert waste fats, oils, and greases into jet fuel that is nearly indistinguishable from petroleum jet fuel. ReadiJet contains a uniform distribution of all hydrocarbon types observed in petroleum fuels including aromatic, cycloparaffin, isoparaffin, and normal paraffin compounds.
ReadiJet is a very clean, high-thermal-stability fuel that exhibits density and energy content equivalent to petroleum Jet A or Jet A-1. ReadiJet was the first SAF to be flight tested neat, unblended, when it was flown in a National Research Council Canada Falcon 20 aircraft on October 12, 2012.
ARA, CLG, and their partners produced 70 000 (US) gallons (≈ 265 000 litres) of ReadiJet that met the US Navy procurement specification for renewable JP-5 (called CHCJ-5). The US Navy successfully flew nine EA-18G Growler flights on 100 percent CHJ as part of its MILSPEC certification of the fuel in 2016.
This was a huge team effort to scale and commercialize the technology and achieve the certification of the jet fuel. We are thankful for the support of the original equipment manufacturers, the US Navy, the US Air Force, and the FAA and its CLEEN program, who performed extensive analysis and testing of CHJ. We also appreciate the support of organizations such as the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and Airlines for America, who continue to be strong advocates for commercial production of sustainable aviation fuels, said Ed Coppola, who led ARA’s certification effort.
Commercial scale-up
The Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology is now poised for scale-up in the United States and Japan. In the United States, multiple commercial projects are in engineering, and Euglena Corporation is working to start up its integrated Biofuels ISOCONVERSION demonstration facility in Japan with the intent to deliver CHJ for commercial flights during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
CLG is excited to be able to offer Biofuels ISOCONVERSION technology, along with our partner, ARA, to meet the growing demand of renewable fuels. This ASTM certification is further proof of the viability of the products from our technology, said Thad Sauvain, CLG’s Global Licensing, and Sales Director.
