{"id":9633,"date":"2015-01-31T22:56:20","date_gmt":"2015-02-01T05:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=9633"},"modified":"2015-01-31T22:56:20","modified_gmt":"2015-02-01T05:56:20","slug":"desert-salt-water-jet-fuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/desert-salt-water-jet-fuel\/","title":{"rendered":"Desert + Salt Water = Jet Fuel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Masdar, the United Arab Emirate\u2019s clean energy development program<\/a>, is hosting Solar Impulse as it prepares for its around-the-world flight.\u00a0 Beyond that, Masdar comprises five business units: Masdar Capital, Masdar Clean Energy, Special Projects, Masdar City and Free Zone, and Masdar Institute, \u201can independent, research-driven graduate university.<\/p>\n

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is a multi-faceted research center<\/a>, which although small at this time, seems to be fairly prodigious in the output of patents, patents pending and academic papers.<\/p>\n

\"Diagram<\/a>

Diagram shows inter-relationships of all components of ISEAS (Integrated Seawater Energy & Agriculture System) system<\/p><\/div>\n

The Institute heads a program to use \u201ccoastal seawater to raise fish and shrimp for food, whose nutrient-rich wastewater then fertilizes oil-rich halophyte plants that can be harvested for aviation biofuel production.\u201d\u00a0 Halophytes, as those who\u2019ve listened to or read Dennis Bushnell\u2019s comments <\/a>will know, thrive in harsh conditions including a diet of saltwater.<\/p>\n

Working with a consortium including Masdar, Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP, and later joined by aerospace companies Safran and GE, Masdar Institute\u2019s initial laboratory-scale demonstrations could become a major contributor to independence from fossil fuels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Masdar CEO Dr Ahmad Belhoul reflects on the implications for producing food and fuel in water and arable land constrained regions. \u201cConsidering that about 20-percent of the world\u2019s land is desert and 97-percent of the world\u2019s water is salt water, this approach turns a land and water resource scarcity problem on its head by creating a bioenergy solution applicable in countries around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Masdar, \u201cHalophyte plants thrive in arid desert conditions and do not require fresh water or arable land to grow. After the fertilisation process, the effluent is passed through cultivated mangroves before being discharged back into the sea, further removing nutrients and providing valuable carbon storage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sustainable Biofuels Research Consortium<\/a>\u00a0(SBRC) says the pilot project\u2019s goal will be to, \u201cdemonstrate the integrated bioenergy process as a commercially viable and sustainable system with respect to essential \u00a0food and fuel production, suitable land use, reduced carbon emissions and wastewater clean-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

After beginning with only the small-scale growing of small amounts of seed samples (collected from Texas) Linden Coppell, Head of Sustainability at Etihad Airways, explains the coming attempt to scale the process to larger dimensions. \u201cThis is a big step \u2013 actually replicating the entire Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (ISEAS) in \u2018pilot\u2019 scale \u2013 with all the elements of the system allowing us, for example, to manipulate it with varying salt and nutrient levels. This will allow us to more confidently scale up to the 200-hectare site we have assigned in a couple of years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Barbara Bramble, Chair of the international standards body Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), praises the effort. \u00a0\u201cThe Masdar Institute research is truly game-changing for large-scale biofuel production.\u00a0 This project puts the UAE at the forefront of a global movement to create sustainable alternative fuels that support \u2013 not compete with \u2013 food production and fresh water conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n