FLABBERGAST - Future Liquid Aviation Biofuels Based on Ethers for Gas Turbine Engines
Air traffic will be dependent on liqued fuels in all foreseeable future. The goal of FLABBERGAST is to develop an environmentally sustainable production of bioethanol that also fulfills the physical-chemical requirements for jet-fuel.
Project description
Air traffic will be dependent on liquid fuels in the foreseeable future. The goal of this project is to develop a bio-based, environmentally sustainable production of jet-fuel. Bioethanol can not fulfill the physical-chemical requirements for jet-fuel. Our initial experiments in a jet-engine test-stand, however, has shown that ethers produced from certain branched alcohols have the desired properties and are likely to reduce the emission of harmful ultra-fine particles into the environment. The desired alcohols are produced naturally in many yeasts, albeit in small amounts. In this cooperation four Danish universities, six international research groups and seven industrial partners will collaborate. We will use a variety of tools to optimize the biosynthesis of select alcohols in yeast and lactic acid bacteria by direct adaptation and modification of metabolic pathways. Microorganism optimization will address output (the higher alcohols), as well as the input side (the utilization of the carbon in lignocellulosic biomass), which will feed the biological production of jet-fuel feedstock. It draws on knowledge created within second-generation bioethanol at Novozymes. In the project, a range of ethers will be produced through chemical synthesis, and tested for determination of physical-chemical properties, as well as in a jet-engine test-stand in order to select the ethers most suitable for jet-fuel. In the final phase of the project the most promising ether is produced on the 1000L scale to be tested in a full-scale test-rig at Airbus in the UK.
Key figures
Period:
2015 - 2018
Funding year:
2014
Own financial contribution:
9.38 mio. DKK
Grant:
20.50 mio. DKK
Funding rate:
69 %
Project budget:
29.87 mio. DKK
Participants
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) (Main Responsible)
Partners and economy
| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
|---|---|---|
| Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) | 6,98 mio. DKK | 2,09 mio. DKK |
| Københavns Universitet | 6,11 mio. DKK | 2.666,69 mio. DKK |
| Aalborg Universitet (Fredrik Bajers Vej) | 1,10 mio. DKK | 0,12 mio. DKK |
| Aarhus Universitet | 0,47 mio. DKK | |
| NOVOZYMES A/S | 1,46 mio. DKK | 1,46 mio. DKK |
| Cumulus Bio ApS | 3,23 mio. DKK | 2,15 mio. DKK |
| Niels Clauson-Kaas A/S | 0,40 mio. DKK | 0,40 mio. DKK |
| Airbus Operations Lmt. | 0,49 mio. DKK | 0,49 mio. DKK |
| RWTH Aachen | 0,11 mio. DKK | |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US) | 0,15 mio. DKK |
Contact
Kontakperson
Peter Ruhdal Jensen
Comtact information
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
Søltofts Plads
Bygning 221, rum 140
2800 Kgs. Lyngby
Contact email
perj@food.dtu.dk
