GREET the Dawn of a New Day in Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Airplanes and their jet fuel (more specifically, the carbon-packed emissions generated when airplanes fly) pose a real – and growing – hurdle to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Despite becoming 130% more efficient since 1978, airplanes are still responsible for 2% of the CO2 emissions caused by humans and 11% of U.S. transportation-related emissions. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry is expected to double within the next 15 years, and it is impractical to electrify or power airplanes with batteries for long-distance flights. Those who fly the sky need to pursue new fuels and technologies, just as the automotive and power industries have done.

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Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) empowers energy companies and aviation stakeholders by supporting advances in research, development, and demonstration to overcome barriers for widespread deployment of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

SAF made from renewable biomass and waste resources have the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint, giving airlines solid footing for decoupling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from flight.

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BMW of North America & California Bioenergy expand partnership to provide clean energy for EV charging

The first automaker to collaborate with dairy farms on renewable energy projects, BMW of North America and California Bioenergy (CalBio) announced an expanded partnership to include Bar 20 Dairy, a farm based in Kerman, CA. The collaboration aims to power EVs in California with clean energy, and generate cleaner air in the state by leveraging the latest biodigester technology to create renewable energy by capturing methane from manure to feed back into the power grid.

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Sustainable, Plant-Based Jet Fuel Could Reduce Emissions by 68%

Replacing petroleum-based aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuel derived from a type of mustard plant can reduce carbon emissions by up to 68%, according to new research from University of Georgia scientist Puneet Dwivedi.

Dwivedi led a team that estimated the break-even price and life cycle carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from oil obtained from Brassica carinata, a non-edible oilseed crop. The study was published in GCB Bioenergy.

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Bioenergy: Friendly Fungi Boost Growth for Biofuel Source

An Oak Ridge National Laboratory team has successfully introduced a poplar gene into switchgrass, an important biofuel source, that allows switchgrass to interact with a beneficial fungus, ultimately boosting the grass’ growth and viability in changing environments.

Scientists observed the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor as it enveloped the plant’s roots. This behavior, not known to occur naturally between these fungi and switchgrass, helps the plant to efficiently take up nutrients and water. This symbiotic relationship results in switchgrass that is more disease- and drought-resistant.

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Boise, Idaho to reach 100% clean electricity goal by 2023

Days after President Biden visited Boise, Idaho to highlight the need for action on climate change, the city's mayor announced that the city will reach its 100% clean electricity goal by 2023, years ahead of schedule.

Boise Mayor Laren McLean said on Twitter that the city will reach its goal seven years early. Boise's Energy Plan, approved by the city council in 2019, called for 100% of the electricity used by the city's residents and businesses to be clean by 2035.

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Researchers Engineer Microorganisms To Tackle PET Plastic Pollution

Although plastics are essential to our everyday lives, they are durable materials that do not naturally biodegrade, taking decades or even centuries to decompose in landfills or the natural environment. More than 82 million metric tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is produced globally each year to make single-use beverage bottles, packaging, clothing, and carpets, and it is one of the largest sources of plastic waste.

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