Agro-Petro alliance targets aviation fuel market

Feb 14, 2024

By farms.com

The growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) presents a challenge to both the agriculture and oil industries, traditionally seen as competitors. Recent developments show these sectors uniting to confront a common challenge: the rise of EVs.

Their focus is shifting towards the aviation industry, a sector still reliant on fossil fuels, where they see potential for growth through sustainable aviation fuel.

Historically, the National Corn Growers Association and the American Petroleum Institute have clashed over the fuel market. The threat posed by EVs to their traditional businesses has led to an unexpected alliance.

Together, they're pushing for legislation to ease restrictions on biofuel blends and combat policies favoring electric vehicles, which they argue could harm their ability to reduce emissions.

Despite the pushback against EVs, the reality of their growing market share cannot be ignored. With EV sales increasing, albeit at a slowing pace, and giants like Tesla showing vulnerability, the biofuel and petroleum industries see an opportunity to reposition their focus.

The aviation industry, consuming a comparable amount of oil to the US car fleet, emerges as a promising arena for this agro-petro collaboration. Recent advancements, such as the opening of the US's first plant for producing sustainable aviation fuel from ethanol, signal a strategic shift.

This new direction not only offers a potential path to reducing aviation emissions but also provides a practical solution to the lobbying dilemma faced by these industries.

By concentrating on sustainable aviation fuel, the corn and oil lobbies aim to secure a future in an essential transport sector, adapting to the inevitable changes in the landscape of personal transportation.

This strategic shift reflects a broader understanding that the battle for passenger cars may be over, but opportunities in aviation fuel innovation are just taking off.

Video: How to fix a leaking pond.

Does the pond leak? Ummmm....possibly a tiny bit. Well, more than a bit...ok, the darn thing leaks like a sieve!

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Damit is not plastic. Therefore, there are no microplastics. I wish I had not mentioned plastic, but that is a very common polymer and I mentioned it as an example of a polymer. A polymer is simply a chain of repeating molecules, or "monomers." Cellulose is a polymer of glucose molecules. Starches are also polymers of various molecules such as fructose, maltose, etc. We have many polymers inside our bodies. In other words, just knowing something is a polymer doesn't make it bad, toxic, harmful, etc. However, this also doesn't mean all polymers are safe.

The specific polymer used for Damit is a trade secret, however, it has been closely scrutinized by multiple health and safety authorities. This includes the governmental authorities of Australia, the USA, Europe, and Asia. Not only have they determined that is safe to use in earthen ponds, and not harmful to fish, but it is considered safe to use in human potable water systems in all of these areas. And of course, they know the exact makeup of the polymer when making this determination. I'm told that the same polymer is in use by many municipalities to keep potable water storage tanks leak free. I can't tell you exactly what the polymer is, because I don't know, but given the confidence with which the governmental authorities have authorized its use, I would bet it is made of a monomer that we are exposed to all the time, like fructose or something.

It also breaks down in a matter of years, and does not accumulate in the environment. The end products of breaking down are CO2, water, and base minerals like potassium. The SDS reports no need for concern with ingestion, inhalation, or contact. If in eyes, rinse with water.

End result, can I say for sure that it is 100% safe? No, I don't know exactly what it is. But given people who do know exactly what it is, and have scrutinized it, have approved it for use in human potable water systems, I'm pretty comfortable putting it in an earthen pond.