Microbacteria: Source of future jet fuel?

MIT's technology review recently wrote a piece on how microbacteria can replace the normal kerosene fuel in airplanes. With air travel rising this might be a great alternative.

"Carbon-dioxide emissions from jets are a growing environmental concern. In the United States, about 12 percent of carbon-dioxide emissions come from jet fuel, a rate that is expected to rise as air travel increases. In addition, fuel prices have more than doubled from 2000 to 2006, boosting airline operating costs and making airlines increasingly desperate for a more price-stable alternative.

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The company's approach is to engineer the metabolic system of microorganisms to create a variety of specialized hydrocarbons. [...] Amyris scientists say they can now produce hydrocarbons with properties that rival the current jet-fuel industry standard, a kerosene-based product known as jet-A. The microbial factories ferment sugar to produce hydrocarbons, a process that has significantly less impact on global warming than traditional fuel production."

SustainaBee says: With air travel rapidly increasing in the next few years and even decades, this might be a great alternative. Of course it will take a while until regulatory hurdles are overcome. And there's also the question whether or not it's feasible to create enough of this fuel. But even a good "blend" option could greatly contribute to a cleaner environment. Let's keep an eye on the developments!