Potential for Pennycress to Support a Renewable Jet Fuel Industry

Federal Aviation Administration2018PDFTech ReportMarkel, EvanEnglish, Burton CHellwinckel, ChadMenard, Robert JUnited States. Federal Aviation Administration. Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and EnvironmentUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville. Department of Agricultural and Resource EconomicsUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Environment and EnergyHendunUnited StatesAviationAviation fuelsRenewable energy sourcesBiomass fuelsPennycressAlternative aviation fuelBiojet fuelIMPLANPOLYSYSASCENTEEO-18-1-12113-C-AJFE-UTENN-005This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Journal ArticlePennycress, an oilseed plant with high oil content, is being considered as a second-generation biofuel feedstock. The plants lifecycle fits with traditional U.S. crop rotations. This study examines the economic feasibility of pennycress production, its potential to supply a renewable aviation industry and its potential impacts on the U.S. economy. Incorporating pennycress in U.S. crop rotations at a price of $0.20 per pound stimulates 22.1 million acres of pennycress to be planted and increases harvested acreage of corn and soybeans by 3.2 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively. To produce 800+ million gallons of jet fuel, 22 HEFA facilities fed by 43 oil extraction facilities are required resulting in the addition of $19 billion to the nation\u2019s economy and nearly 66,000 jobs.119