The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota has been awarded approximately $5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the development and demonstration of a new domestic bio-jet fuel for the U.S. military. The 18-month project will produce enough fuel to allow DARPA to demonstrate the fuel's usability in real-world combat scenarios.

"One of the greatest challenges in our nation is energy security for the U.S. military. This award is a significant opportunity to match the skills of the EERC with the military's needs," said EERC Director Gerald Groenewold. "This will also expand the EERC's capabilities in tactical fuels and allow us to demonstrate the effects of recently developed technology to convert fuels made from indigenous resources that can replace imported oil," he said. 

The fuel produced by the EERC will be an identical replacement for the traditional JP-8 petroleum-based fuel, which represents the majority of all fuel used in the U.S. military. The EERC fuel will meet the military specification for JP-8, which is used to power vehicles such as the Boeing B-52 bomber, the Abrams A1 Battle Tank, the Apache Helicopter, and many others.

"Our whole approach with this project is to develop an affordable new fuel that can be dropped in to replace the current JP-8 fuel," said Ted Aulich, Senior Research Manager. "This replacement will allow an easy transition from a petroleum-based fuel to a 100% domestic renewable fuel."

A major challenge for any type of fuel is its use in cold-weather conditions. The EERC fuel is usable in extremely cold temperatures (at or below 50°F), which makes it ideal for use in jets. North Dakota is an exceptional real-world setting for cold-weather testing.

In addition to demonstration of the fuel, the EERC will also be focused on improving the methods for producing the fuel from a variety of vegetable oils and other renewable feedstocks. Several provisional patent applications have already been filed for a new chemical process specifically for producing renewable JP-8, which simplifies the traditional process for converting vegetable oil to fuel with low freeze point requirements-a major breakthrough developed exclusively at the EERC.

"The state-of-the-art technology being developed by the EERC, through partnerships with the DoD, particularly the U.S. Air Force and a variety of private sector entities, holds significant opportunities for deployment at one of North Dakota's Air Force bases," Groenewold said.