On Friday, Swift Fuels hosted an unveiling in West Lafayette, Ind., for two new fuel facilities — a pilot plant and a fuel-blending site — to help produce a new aviation fuel as an alternative to 100LL. The company said it is investing $2.5 million in the two projects. “Swift Fuels’ 100SF was developed to replace leaded aviation gasoline,” CEO Chris D’Acosta said at the event. “We are transitioning from several years of research and development to the start-up of this fuel-blending and pilot-scale production facility, which will strengthen our commercialization efforts in various fuels markets.” The blending facility will store at least 50,000 gallons of unleaded, high-octane aviation components for sales and shipment. The pilot plant will produce more than 10,000 gallons of 100SF per month when it reaches full capacity, the company said.
The pilot plant is being built in Nebraska, and will be delivered to Lafayette within four weeks, according to the company’s news release. D’Acosta said one of the key features of the pilot plant is its versatility. “The pilot plant will be a continuous operation,” he said. “It can produce the unleaded high-octane gasoline from petroleum or bio-sourced material. This provides Swift Fuels many options on how to serve various markets.” D’Acosta said the company is working to develop the aviation fuel to conform with ASTM and FAA standards in an effort to meet “an ultimate fleet-wide certification.”
