Jet Fuel May Soon Grow On Trees

Australia’s iconic gum trees may be used to produce enough low-carbon renewable jet fuel to power 5% of the world’s aviation industry. Renewable fuels that could power commercial aeroplanes are limited and expensive but a solution could be growing all over Australia. If we could plant 20 million hectares of eucalyptus species worldwide, which is planted pulp and paper, we would be able to produce enough jet fuel for 5% of the aviation industry. The aviation sector globally produces about 2% of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions. A eucalyptus-based fuel would initially be more expensive than fossil fuels to produce on a mass scale, but would produce significantly less net carbon emissions.

Researcher noted that the new fuel would counter a big challenge, as powering a modern jet with some of the currently available alternatives is difficult, due to the high energy the aircraft require. Renewable ethanol and biodiesel might be okay for the family SUV, but they just don’t have a high enough energy density to be used in the aviation industry. Eucalyptus oil contains compounds called monoterpenes that can be converted into a very high energy fuel, and this high energy fuel can actually fly jets and even tactical missiles. The study examined how to boost production of monoterpenes to obtain industrial-scale jet fuel from plants. This includes selecting the appropriate species, genetic analysis, advanced molecular breeding, genetic engineering and improvements to harvesting/processing of the oil. Researcher said jet fuel derived from

eucalyptus oil would be close to carbon neutral.