Fueling the Mission with Bioenergy Resources

The U.S. Air Force consumes approximately 2 billion gallons of aviation fuel annually, which represents about 81% of the total Air Force energy budget. Military planners are mandated to diversify the energy and fuel portfolio to make installations more resilient to fluctuations in energy prices and availability. The proposed biomass conversion technology can reduce solid waste generated at any installation through a front-end process that converts various solid waste streams into an energy-dense, carbon-neutral fuel, while also sorting materials for recycling. On the backend, this engineered fuel can be converted into liquid fuel. The goal of this research is to enhance biogas production from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Biogas from anaerobic digestion of organic materials consists of methane, carbon dioxide, and other trace components, which can be upgraded for use in combined heat and power systems, as vehicle fuel, or sustainable aviation fuel. This renewable fuel will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, petroleum demand, and increase energy assurance.