UAE to Produce Aviation Biofuel With Sustainable Farming

In the United Arab Emirates, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has acquired 200 hectares of coastal land in the Western Region to set up a sustainable demonstration farm which eventually will produce jet biofuel from plants.

The Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System Project aims to be 100 percent sustainable once it starts operating. The project involves pumping seawater to a fish farm. The wastewater from the aquaculture farm will then be used to irrigate fields of salt-tolerant plants, such as salicornia and local halophytes. From there, the water will drain from the fields into mangroves that will be the source of biomass for biogas production. With this project, Masdar seeks to become the premier research centre in the development of biomass using arid land and salt water.

The project also aims to produce biofuels for the aviation industry. Salicornia plants bear small seeds that have high oil content. The oil from the seeds can be refined into biosynthetic kerosene, which is a commercial fuel for aviation. Etihad Airways has used the fuel in one of their cargo planes from Seattle to Abu Dhabi.

Masdar plans to plant mangroves as early as next year. But it will take at least five years for the system to be fully functional.