The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has produced jet fuel from a combination of both coal and biomass feed stocks.
EERC, located at the University of North Dakota in the US, produced the fuel under the cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory.
The EERC technology is based on a direct liquefaction process which meets the US military jet fuel requirements.
The new fuel, which is available for licensing through the EERC Foundation, reduces environmental footprint, limits land use and uses coal reserves in the US.
EERC Intellectual Property Management and Technology Commercialization associate director Carsten Heide said the institute is focusing on commercial potential of production technologies for fuels which have the same physical and chemical properties of highly refined petroleum-derived fuels.
"The new fuels are basically identical to existing fuels and integrate well with current petroleum-refining technologies," Heide said.
The fuel met standard fuel specifications exceeding the thermal stability specification of military jet fuel and will burn cleanly without leaving deposits.
The coal-biomass fuel is expected to undergo further testing by the US military.