Alaska Airlines recently became the first to fly jets fueled by alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) made from sustainable U.S. corn. The two flights departed from Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport and flew to San Francisco International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington (DC) National Airport using ATJ fuel produced by Gevo Inc. Alcohol-to-jet biofuel was approved for use by ASTM International in March 2016, and is the first aviation biofuel to be certified and approved since 2011.

Joseph Sprague, Alaska Airlines’ SVP of communications and external relations, said that "Alaska is committed to doing its part to reduce its carbon emissions. Advancing the use of alternative jet fuels is a key part of our emission reduction strategy. Gevo’s jet fuel product is an important step forward, in that it has the potential to be scalable and cost effective, without sacrificing performance."

More information about this project is available in this week’s edition of TAPPI’s Ahead of the Curve.