Can gutter oil be fuel of civil aircraft? Recently, China gave an affirmative answer to this question.
   
On February, 12, The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) granted the No. 1 Chinese Technical Standard Order Authorization (CTSOA) for biological jet  fuel production to Sinopec Corp. in Beijing. This means that Sinopec's No.1 biological jet fuel could be airworthiness. The biological jet fuel that Sinopec made from rape seed, cotton seed and waste oil is now qualified for industrial production. Hence, Sinopec has become the first Chinese enterprise to own independently-developed technology for biological jet fuel.
   
Insiders said the biological jet fuel marked a milestone for the development of China's aviation industry. China also became the fourth country with independently-developed production technologies of biological jet fuel, following the United States, France and Finland. American Exxon Mobil Corporation, France's Total and Finland Neste Oil have filed patent applications in China, starting the patent war of technologies of biological jet fuel.

Biological jet fuel is no longer unreachable
   
"This is major technological breakthrough of China's biological jet fuel, which all Chinese should be proud of," said Dai Houliang, senior vice president of Sinopec.　
   
Up to now, according to Derwent World Patent Index (WPI), Sinopec has filed 39 patent applications of biological fuel at home and abroad. Of the 39 patent applications, 2 have been granted in America, and 17 have been granted in China. 
   
It is known that the biological jet fuel is transformed from renewable resources such as palm oil, waste oil and animal fat, etc. On January, 7, 2009, the first test fly of biological jet fuel in the world was conducted successfully by the U.S. Continental Airlines. In the same year, Sinopec started the research work on aviation bio-fuels and had developed a set of technologies with independent intellectual property rights (IPR). In October, 2012, Sinopec successfully transformed waste oil into aviation bio-fuel.    

To benefit people by industrial application
   
It is an international competition of cutting-edge technology of biological jet fuel as well as an effective way to reduce carbone emission and independence on petroleum—the industrialization of biological jet fuel is quite promising. "Compared with traditional petroleum-based jet fuel, biological jet fuel could reduce carbon dioxide and particulate pollutant emission," said a principal in Sinopec.

"It is an important innovation for our country to promote biological jet fuel with independent IPRs," said a principal in CAAC during the interview, who stressed that the license was of great significance to the development and application of biological jet fuel in aviation.

It is estimated that the global demand for aviation fuel will increase by less than 5% every year in the future. However, the demand in China will increase by over 10% every year, which will influence the stable supply of aviation fuel.

"With the technologies of bio-jet fuel developing, patent war starts," said an insider. Up to now, American applicants have filed approximately 200 patent applications of biological fuel in China, including the petroleum industry giants such as Exxon Mobil Corporation as well as Chevron Corporation. Meanwhile, 20 patent applications have been filed by French applicants include French petroleum institute and Total. About 10 applications have been filed by Finn, and Neste Oil is one of the applicants.

"Based on the No.1 biological jet fuel, Sinopec would continue to expand the scope of raw material of biological jet fuel, and conduct deep cooperation with both domestic as well as foreign airline operators in order to realize commercial flight powered by biological jet fuel and brace for the marketization and industrialization of biological jet fuel," said Dai Houliang.

(China IP News)