U.S. Navy Flies Supersonic With Gevo ATJ
December 22 2014 - 9:00AM
The U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and Gevo, Inc.
(Nasdaq:GEVO), the world's only commercial producer of renewable
isobutanol, announced today the first successful "alcohol-to-jet"
(ATJ) supersonic flight at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Patuxent
River, Md. This is the first aviation test program to
comprehensively test and evaluate the performance of a 50/50 ATJ
blend in supersonic (above Mach 1) afterburner operations - a
critical test to successfully clear the F/A-18 for ATJ operations
through its entire flight envelope.
The U.S. Navy is exploring alternative fuels that can serve as
drop-in replacements to petroleum, as the availability of
additional fuel sources can increase resiliency for operational
commanders and help reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels. The
Navy Fuels Team at Patuxent River is leading the Navy's test and
qualification efforts of alternative fuel sources. The F/A-18
testing is a significant milestone leading to a military
specification (MIL-SPEC). This MIL-SPEC would allow for commercial
supply of ATJ fuel to the Navy and Marines Corps.
Gevo's ATJ is produced at its demo biorefinery in Silsbee, TX,
using isobutanol produced at its Luverne, MN, fermentation
facility. Gevo is currently operating its Luverne plant in
Side-by-Side operational mode, whereby isobutanol is being produced
in one of the facility's four fermenters, while the other three
fermenters are dedicated to ethanol production. The isobutanol that
Gevo is producing is meeting product specifications for direct
drop-in applications, as well as for use as a feedstock for the
Silsbee biorefinery to produce hydrocarbons such as ATJ.
"We're extremely proud to have contributed to the U.S. Navy's
successful ATJ test flights," said Patrick Gruber, Gevo's Chief
Executive Officer. "These flights represent an accumulation of over
four years of hard work involving innovative testing with multiple
players and years of research. Together, we have proven that ATJ
fuel is a viable alternative for both military and commercial
applications. This is a great accomplishment for Gevo and the
biofuels industry; we've validated that the isobutanol that we are
successfully producing at Luverne, is an affordable, clean-burning,
U.S.-made, drop-in fuel, that can also be further processed into
direct replacement hydrocarbon products, such as ATJ fuel."
The F/A-18 Hornet is a single-and two-seat, twin engine,
multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either
aircraft carriers or land bases. Its engine thrust from 36,000
pounds to 44,000 pounds utilizing two General Electric F414
turbo-fan engines.
About Gevo
Gevo is a leading renewable technology, chemical products, and
next generation biofuels company. Gevo's underlying technology uses
a combination of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering,
chemistry and chemical engineering to focus primarily on the
production and sale of isobutanol, as well as related products from
renewable feedstocks. Gevo's strategy is to commercialize biobased
alternatives to petroleum-based products to allow for the
optimization of fermentation facilities' assets, with the ultimate
goal of maximizing cash flows from the operation of those assets.
Gevo produces isobutanol, ethanol and high-value animal feed at its
first fermentation plant in Luverne, MN. Gevo has also developed
technology to produce hydrocarbon products from renewable alcohols.
Gevo currently operates its first biorefinery in Silsbee, TX, in
collaboration with South Hampton Resources Inc., to produce
renewable jet fuel, octane, and ingredients for plastics like
polyester. Gevo has a marquee list of partners including The
Coca-Cola Company, Toray Industries Inc., Total SA and LANXESS,
Inc., an affiliate of LANXESS Corporation, among others. Gevo is
committed to a sustainable bio-based economy that meets society's
needs for plentiful food and clean air and water. For more
information, visit www.gevo.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements include statements that are not purely statements of
historical fact, and can sometimes be identified by our use of
terms such as "intend," "expect," "plan," "estimate," "future,"
"strive" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are
made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and
assumptions of the management of Gevo and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All
such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are
made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise
these statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise. Although the company believes that the
expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are
reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties
that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be
expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a
further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ from those expressed in these
forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the
business of Gevo in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual
Report on Form 10-K of Gevo for the year ended December 31, 2013
and in subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K and other
filings made with the Securities Exchange Commission by Gevo.
CONTACT: Media Contact:
Robin Peak
Gevo, Inc.
T: (720) 267-8632
rpeak@gevo.com
Investor Contact:
Mike Willis
Gevo, Inc.
T: (720) 267-8636
mwillis@gevo.com
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