On February 12, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) awarded Sinopec with CTSOA of aviation biofuel. Sinopec’s aviation biofuel No.1 that is produced with proprietary aviation biofuel technology of Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) is officially approved for airworthiness, which marks the beginning of industrialization and commercialization of the country’s first aviation biofuel product, and the two-year airworthiness certification is completed successfully.

Xu Chaoqun, the deputy director of aircraft airworthiness certification department of CAAC, highly appreciated aviation biofuel No.1 and introduced that Sinopec’s aviation biofuel No.1 was important innovation in the field of aviation biofuel application and also significant pioneering undertaking regarding China’s independent production, verification and certification. So far, China has become the first country in the world that conducts the airworthiness certification and is licensed.

According to strategic deployment of Sinopec, RIPP, since 2007, has initiated exploratory research on aviation biofuel technology. In 2009, hydrogenation aviation biofuel technology R&D project was formally approved. RIPP’s leadership paid high attention to the project and organized special scientific research matrix group. Long Jun and Nie Hong, the president and vice president of RIPP hold the post of group leader and deputy group leader respectively. The group hence started the R&D of aviation biofuel. Such laboratory researches as raw materials selection, technical route design, technical condition optimization and catalyst formula determination, etc. were completed in succession with set of aviation biofuel technologies with proprietary intellectual property rights developed. Industrial scale-up was successfully completed in Hangzhou branch of Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company at the end of 2011, with 72 t of aviation biofuel products produced.

On February 28, 2012, Sinopec submitted airworthiness certification application to CAAC at Great Hall of the People. Hereafter, the aviation biofuel products has successively passed the physical and chemical properties assessment and engine bench test both nationally and internationally. On April 24, 2013, the first flight applying Sinopec aviation biofuel was successfully completed in Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

Availability of licence for aviation biofuel No.1 means that Sinopec has become the first domestic company which fully grasps complete set of aviation biofuel technologies and is capable of mass production of such green aviation fuel. RIPP has made breakthrough by developing the country’s aviation biofuel technology from nothing.