Aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Romanian state-owned airline Tarom and a consortium of partners plan to set up a bio-fuel production center in Romania which should deliver fuel for the airline industry. This is one of the first such European projects aiming to establish a sustainable bio-kerosene jet-fuel processing and production capability, according to Airbus. The bio-fuel plant in Romania will use the camelina plant as a raw material (in picture), the substitute to fossil based jet fuel.

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 is applying its aviation bio-fuel refining technology, CCE is contributing its knowledge on camelina agronomy, including technologies on camelina growth, agricultural monitoring networks and plant science. Airbus is providing technical and project management expertise and is sponsoring the sustainability assessment and life cycle analysis studies.

The project is being overseen by a Romania-based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO). Airbus will support the fuel approval processes, and lead in assessing the effect on the aircraft systems and engines.

Once feasibility studies on agricultural, technological and aeronautical development and sustainability assessment are complete, the project will also assess the existing refining facilities in order to identify the Romanian production capability.

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 readily farmed and harvested by family farmers.

editor@romania-insider.com