US Air Force tests aviation fuel made of alcohol

London -  The US Air Force has tested an aircraft fuel that is almost entirely based on alcohol.

The A-10C Thunderbolt II flew from Eglin Air Force Base, in Florida, on a fuel blend known as Alcohol to Jet, or ATJ, as part of the airforce’s bid to move its fleet onto non-petroleum-based fuel.

The fuel is actually created from any cell-based material such as wood, paper or grass.

The sugar that is extracted from these materials is then fermented into alcohol, which is then processed into an aviation-grade kerosene used for aviation fuel.

“It flew like a usual A-10 would without any issues,” the Daily Mail quoted Jeff Braun, spokesman for the alternative fuel certification division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, as saying.

The Air Force has now tested three alternative-based fuels, including a “synthetic paraffinic kerosene,” which is derived from coal and natural gas, and a bio-mass fuel which comes from plant-oils and animal fats, known as “hydroprocessed renewable jet.”

“The A-10 is an excellent platform for testing the new fuel due in part to its segregated fuel system,” Capt. Joseph Rojas, A-10 test engineer, said.

“The system allows one engine to run off a fuel supply that is completely segregated from the other engine.

“This allows us to fly with one engine on the new fuel and the other on traditional fuel. If engine operation is normal, as with the ATJ blend, then we progress to flying with both engines on the new fuel,” he said.

The service has certified the blend for operational use on the aircrafts, and is now planning to conduct a formal coordination for certification as an approved fuel agent.