Finpro Americas

Heidi Virta

April 2011

Bio jet fuel plans in Mexico

Bio jet fuel demand in Mexico

The aviation industry will demand 40 Million litres in 2015 and 700 Million litres in 2020 of bio jet fuel in Mexico

Litres of bio jet fuel

Bio jet fuel initiative in Mexico

• Mexico’s aviation industry has made a Flight Plan program ”Plan de vuelo” started in july 2010 in which all the aviation industry actors, investigators, feedstock producers and Mexican government representatives

• The program is to promote the collaboration of all the involved parties and to come up up with a national biorefinary plan in Mexico

• 1st demostration flight in Mexico based on jatropha bio jet fuel was made on 1st of April, 2011

• UOP Honeywell is involved in the project and the demostration flight was made with UOP technology (www.uop.com)

• Sources for the bio jet fuel are: jatropha, camelina, algae, cactus among others

Demostration flight process

1) Feedstock:

• The jatropha seed came from Mexican producers: Government of Chipas (90%), Global Energías Renovables (Yucatán), Energy J.H., (Michoacán) and Bencafser (Puebla),

2) Process for generating biofuels:

• Pure Bio-Keroseno Parafínico Sintético (BioKPS) was elaborated from the jatropha seeds .

3) Extraction and refination:

• The oil was extracted and pre-refined in Guadalajara and transferred to a biorefinary in Pasadena, Texas, where it was processed under the supervision of United Oil Products (UOP), of Honeywell.

4) Transfer

• The BioKPS was transferred to the fuel station in Mexico City, where the mixture of 73 % jet fuel (fossile) and 27 % BioKPS was created. The mixture was made with strict cuality and security controls

Bio jet fuel feedstock world map

• World map in the production of algae, jatropha and camelina