Top 5 vendors in alternative aviation fuels market

The market is dominated by the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) segment owing to the uncertainty associated with the production of aviation biofuels. On the other hand, the feedstock (crude oil) used to produce ATF is conveniently available. Moreover, the recent decline in oil prices, during 2014 - 2015, helped the airlines to attain profits due to the reduction in ATF prices. Low ATF prices have cut down the procurement of biofuels or associated components, as their prices are high in comparison to the standard ATF prices.

The global aviation alternative fuels market is characterised by the presence of many global, regional, and local vendors. The market is highly competitive with all the players competing to gain market share. Intense competition, rapid advances in technology, frequent changes in government policies, and environmental regulations are key factors that confront the market growth.

“The global aviation alternative fuels market is highly competitive, and vendors compete based on cost, product quality, reliability, and aftermarket service. It is crucial for the vendors to provide cost-effective and high-quality alternative fuels or biofuels to survive and succeed in an intensely competitive market environment,” says Avimanyu Basu, a lead aerospace components analyst from Technavio.

The aviation industry has been undergoing consolidation since 2011 as the Chinese, the US, and European governments have imposed strict environment protection regulations to reduce carbon emissions caused by airlines. In addition, the declining prices of ATF will likely present a significant challenge for biofuel producers.

Top five aviation alternative fuels market vendors

GE Aviation

GE Aviation specialises in the development and manufacturing of jet, turboprop, and turboshaft engines, components, and integrated systems to address the demands of commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft. The company directs significant efforts in deriving fuels from alternative sources for aircraft engines.

Rolls-Royce

To demonstrate the viability of algae as an appropriate alternative for kerosene in aviation fuel, Rolls-Royce collaborated with EADS in 2013, and developed a hybrid propulsion system that is driven by a combination of electricity and biofuel from algae. The new hybrid system is expected to deliver similar performance as compared to conventional jet fuel and result in 75% less carbon emission.

SkyNRG

SkyNRG maintained an effectual supply chain to develop biofuels and established a Sustainability Board (consisting of reputed NGOs and scientists for advice on feedstock procurement and technology decisions) to analyse the efficacy of the supply chain. The company is also a member of the RSB. It is the only company that can deliver RSB-certified sustainable jet fuel into a wing of an aircraft.

Swedish Biofuels

The Swedish Biofuels' fully synthetic jet fuel process uses grain or wood as the feedstock, which is converted into a sugar solution for biochemical synthesis. The sugar solution gets fermented into a mixture of C2 - C5 alcohols, which in turn, is converted into a mixture of C4 - C20 hydrocarbons. The mixture of hydrocarbons is treated to obtain biological gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. This innovative process controls the proportion of kerosene, gasoline, and diesel production along with control of properties of energy density, freeze point, flash point, and chemical structure. The product, i.e., the aviation fuel has already been tested at the US Air Force facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with satisfactory results.

UOP

UOP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, which is a part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group. Honeywell’s UOP Renewable Jet Fuel Process technology was developed as a part of a project for the US DARPA directed toward the production of renewable jet fuel for the US military jets in 2007.

The other prominent vendors are:

• Amyris.
• AltAir Fuels.
• Byogy Renewables.
• Fulcrum BioEnergy.
• Gevo.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/09112016/top-5-vendors-in-alternative-aviation-fuels-market/