An Abu Dhabi research facility that is backed by Etihad Airways, Boeing, GE Aviation, Safran and Honeywell UOP is looking to make use of desert lands irrigated by seawater to produce both seafood and sustainable jet biofuel.
To that end it has begun operations on a two hectare site in Masdar City. The aviation industry companies, along with local oil refiners, have come together as the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium to fund the facility, which is operated by the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. The facility uses coastal seawater to raise fish and shrimp for food; the by-product that is nutrient-rich wastewater then fertilises salt-tolerant halophyte plants rich in oils which can subsequently be harvested for aviation biofuel production. If the technology proves viable on a modest scale, then further expansion will continue, with the aim of establishing a 200 hectare demonstration site, says SBRC.
