A Closer Look: Environmental Impact of Bio Aviation Fuel Certification and Testing

09 Dec 2011

The global aviation industry is taking a serious look at biofuels for both jet and propeller driven aircraft. Numerous ‘first flights’ have been achieved in the last year with commercial airlines, private ventures and military air forces experimenting with biofuel origin fuels.

Fuel quality is vital to the safety of an aircraft in-flight. The aviation fuel needs not only to meet the relevant industrial specification, but it also needs to be free from other products, unapproved additives and other contaminants.  Having acceptable biofuel quality for aviation usage is a prime condition for widespread adoption of “green” fuel alternatives.

Aviation fuel is usually stored for some period of time before it is used by aircraft. Today, there are several established guidelines and quality standards to control the quality of the jet fuel and other aviation fuels. According to ASTM (or IP methods), typical characteristics to be tested are composition, volatility, fluidity, combustion, corrosion, stability, contaminants, FAME, and lubricity characteristics.

Subject matter expert Kurt Tyssen, Senior Business Development Manager, can answer your questions on this subject. Please leave a comment below.