[November 15, 2009] WPAFB increasing research, testing on alternative fuels with new plant: Ground is broken for facility to help Air Force, UD researchers Tweet DAYTON, Nov 15, 2009 (Dayton Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Air Force Research Laboratory and University of Dayton Research Institute are stepping up efforts to develop and test alternative fuels, derived from coal and biomass sources, that could help the Air Force reduce its massive dependence on petroleum-based aviation fuels. A new plant planned at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will increase the capability of the alternative fuels research that AFRL and the University of Dayton Research Institute have been involved in for several years, said Heinz Robota, a synthetic-fuels chemist who joined UDRI in October to help lead its contribution to the Air Force-funded work. The Air Force broke ground on Monday, Nov. 9, for the new plant, which is expected to be operational in early 2011, Robota said. It is to be in a new building near an existing facility where the synfuels research already is being done. The new plant would be intended to produce 15 to 20 or so gallons a day of synfuels for testing purposes. UDRI officials said they are contacting other alternative fuels-research teams in the military, academic and business worlds to encourage them to bring concept fuels or new processing techniques to the Wright-Patterson facilities for testing. Robota, who has 30 years of experience in related research and technologies, said he was attracted by the prospect of building on existing synfuels research and working with outside researchers bringing additional ideas. "The range of interesting technical challenges that will need to be overcome, the diversity of private enterprise people with which one can work, is very exciting," he said in an interview Wednesday. The new fuel could be derived from coal, algae or biomass sources as varied as switchgrasses, wood waste, municipal waste or solid materials left over after seed pressing. The Air Force Research Laboratory provided a $10 million grant more than a year ago to jump-start the program to develop new fuels from American sources. UDRI brought additional expertise in fuels and combustion research. The Air Force has made headway in recent years. In 2006, the service did flying tests with a B-52 bomber operating with a combination of synthetic fuel and traditional jet fuel. The Air Force has said it is working with commercial airlines, which account for 85 percent of the aviation fuel-buying market, and is doing testing and certification of synfuels for its aircraft fleet. The Air Force typically is the military's biggest consumer of energy. It consumes 60 percent of petroleum products bought for the Defense Department, and incurs annual fuel bills of $6 billion or more. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or [email protected]. To see more of the Dayton Daily News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.daytondailynews.com . Copyright (c) 2009, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]