Solazyme partner on bio-jet fuel production

US-based renewable oil company Solazyme has collaborated with Australian airline Qantas to produce its microbial derived aviation fuel for commercial flights.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the airline will work with government and private sector stakeholders in the next year to build the case for clean jet fuel production in Australia.
This is the first partnership in the Asia-Pacific region to explore the use of its Solajet aviation biofuel for commercial aviation.
Both companies hope to capture a share of the renewable aviation fuel market, which they estimate to stand at six billion litres per year in Australia alone.
Solazyme anticipates that the alliance will spur the commercialisation of its Solarjet fuel, while Qantas’s Joyce said the collaboration was a step forward in the airline’s environment strategy.
The Qantas Group hopes to be at the forefront of the emerging renewable jet fuel sector, targeting the use of renewable aviation fuel as costs for traditional jet fuel continue to rise.
‘The costs and environmental impacts associated with traditional jet fuel mean it is imperative that we push hard now for the commercialisation of alternative fuel sources,’ said Joyce.
‘We believe this is important not just for Qantas but for the Australian economy as a whole, given the global emergence of green technologies and their potential to drive growth and create jobs.
‘Qantas is establishing a leadership position in the airline industry in supporting the commercialisation of renewable, sustainable aviation fuels.’
Solazyme has acquired a strong list of backers that includes Lightspeed, The Roda Group, Harris and Harris, VantagePoint, Zygote Ventures, the venture arm of Chevron, Unilever, Bunge, Braemar Energy Ventures and Sir Richard Branson, among others.
The renewable fuel developer was founded in 2003 and its headquarters are based in San Francisco.