UAE’s Etihad Airways, in collaboration with Boeing, Takreer, Total and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, has launched a joint industry roadmap for the sustainable production of aviation biofuels in the UAE.

The BIOjet Abu Dhabi: Flight Path to Sustainability report outlines a set of recommended industry actions to create a commercially viable domestic aviation biofuel industry - a first for the Middle East. 

BIOjet Abu Dhabi will engage a broad range of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive framework for a UAE biofuel supply chain, including research and development and expanded investment in feedstock production and refining capability in the UAE and globally.

James Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, said: “The industry’s licence to grow can only be granted if we find and implement ways to lower the carbon footprint of commercial aviation.”

“Together with our partners, we are proud to present our roadmap to encourage greater commitment from the industry and local community in establishing a sustainable biofuel supply chain in the UAE – the next logical step in Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy commitments.  The formation of a viable UAE aviation biofuel industry in Abu Dhabi presents significant opportunity for the capital’s ongoing economic diversification initiatives.”

BIOjet Abu Dhabi was announced last year, one day after Etihad Airways conducted a demonstration flight with a Boeing 777 powered in part by the first UAE-produced biokerosene from an innovative plant biomass-processing technology.

The biofuel was partially converted from biomass by Total and its partner Amyris. Takreer, a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), did the final aviation biofuel distillation, adding the UAE to a handful of countries that have produced and flown on their own biokerosene.

Bernie Dunn, president of Boeing Middle East, said: “BIOjet Abu Dhabi represents a key opportunity for the UAE to create the environment needed to innovate in ways that support long-term sustainable growth for commercial aviation here and around the world.”

Jasem Ali Al Sayegh, chief executive officer of Takreer, said: “The development of a biofuel supply chain complements our future plans to meet the rapidly growing demand for jet fuel at both a local and regional level, and is in line with the ADNOC sustainability policy.”

The BIOjet Abu Dhabi roadmap builds on local research undertaken by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium, led by the Masdar Institute, whose flagship project is the Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (ISEAS). ISEAS is an initiative to develop a unique form of agriculture, producing food and energy products on traditionally non-arable desert land irrigated with seawater. The pilot ISEAS facility is currently under construction within Masdar City. – TradeArabia News Service