Neither ethanol nor biodiesel should be used for aircraft. Ethanol isn't energy dense enough and biodiesel has a high gel point. You don't want your fuel to gel at 30,000 feet.
The smarter liquid fuel product to create from algae, other biomass and coal is synthetic fuel. Pyrolize anything with carbon in it (including garbage) and use Fischer-Tropsch processes to make synfuel and you can replace oil for aviation, then for the military.
And the char left from pyrolysis could be used as a soil amendment creating a permanent sequestration of carbon that enhances fertility of marginal cropland and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizer.
Slashdot Mirror
Neither ethanol nor biodiesel should be used for aircraft. Ethanol isn't energy dense enough and biodiesel has a high gel point. You don't want your fuel to gel at 30,000 feet. The smarter liquid fuel product to create from algae, other biomass and coal is synthetic fuel. Pyrolize anything with carbon in it (including garbage) and use Fischer-Tropsch processes to make synfuel and you can replace oil for aviation, then for the military. And the char left from pyrolysis could be used as a soil amendment creating a permanent sequestration of carbon that enhances fertility of marginal cropland and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizer.
Actually... fungus will play a major role in the cellulosic ethanol if it ever becomes feasible. Not that you'd want to run an Air Force on ethanol.