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Tarom and Airbus companies, together with a consortium of partners will develop a production and processing network of sustainable biofuel for air transport whose center will be in Romania, a press release of the airline giant reads. Airbus does not offer any details regarding the value of the investment.

The project’s main objective is to obtain biofuel from camelina a plant used in the industry for its seeds reach in oil to replace fuel currently used in air transports. The management part of the project will be ensured by a nongovernmental organization from Romania whose name was not revealed yet and Airbus will implement the project.

According to the press release, Tarom will lead the consortium that is composed of Honeywell’s UOP, CCS and Airbus. Airbus will support the process of authorizations for the biofuel and will coordinate the evaluation of effects of the fuel on the functioning systems of the airplanes.

As soon as the feasibility studies in terms of agriculture development potential, specific technology and aeronautical industry, the existing units for fuel refining will also be evaluated, in order to identify the production capacity level accessible in Romania.

Camelina is the chosen feedstock because of its energy potential, its rotational crop qualities, its green house gas reduction potential and its low water requirements. Camelina is also indigenous to Romania, and can be farmed and harvested by family farmers. It has a high quality animal feed by-product.

'This is the first European based value chain project bringing together farmers, oil-refiners and an airline to spearhead the commercialization of sustainable bio-fuel production. The project developed in Romania will also help us verify the economic sustainability and viability of producing bio-kerosene,' said Paul Nash, Airbus Head of New Energies.

Airbus will support the fuel approval processes and will coordinate the assessment of this biofuel effects on aircraft operating systems and engines. The consortium will work together with the Bucharest University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine's Centre of Biotechnology (BIOTEHGEN) on the sustainable agricultural phase of the project regarding the camelina plantations, harvesting and oil production.

TAROM is leading the consortium, which includes Honeywell's UOP, CCE (Camelina Company España), and Airbus. Honeywell's UOP will apply its aviation bio-fuel refining technology, CCE will contribute to the project with its knowledge on camelina agronomy, including technologies on camelina growth, agricultural monitoring networks and plant science. Airbus will provide technical and project management expertise and sponsor the sustainability assessment and life cycle analysis studies.

The project will use diverse biomass sources as feedstock, with a special interest in the camelina plant. CCE and BIOTEHGEN are implementing various ‘camelina placement trials' at different locations in Romania, with the purpose of assessing sustainability of different production models and soil types, including contaminated soil and uncultivated land, in order to identify the best techniques and genetic material.

A sustainability analysis will be conducted in order to prove the viability of the Romanian camelina value chain.Airbus supports all industry wide efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Bio-kerosene is in the final stage of approval by the International Association for Testing Materials (ASTM) in the US to be blended up to 50 percent with regular jet fuel when used in commercial flights.