The Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI) has announced its findings and recommendations to develop a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in the Midwest. It’s the result of a yearlong study by researchers representing 40-plus organizations across the aviation biofuels supply chain. The report is titled, “Fueling a Sustainable Future for Aviation 2013.”
“The MASBI report describes a vision for providing aviation biofuels to Chicago. Iowa falls within Chicago’s potential supply circle for advanced biofuels,” said Robert C. Brown, director of the Bioeconomy Institute and professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University. “Iowa State University was invited to join MASBI because of our research programs in biofuels,” Brown said. “We accepted the invitation because we wanted to make sure Iowa was included in the economic opportunities that might develop from the initiative.”
Brown and Mark Wright, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State, participated on different subcommittees for the initiative. They provided information on the technical and economic feasibility of various pathways to advanced biofuels.