State poised to power planes with pulp, not petroleum

Can you fly airplanes with wood?

The answer is: yes.

It’s a very qualified “yes” — and it may not happen for many years — but the potential exists to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel from residual wood products and other non-petroleum-based sources that can reduce an airplane’s carbon footprint.

“The technology to fly airplanes with wood exists but needs to be scaled up to show the true potential,” Rick Horton, executive vice president of Minnesota Forest Industries, told the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee at an informational hearing Monday.

Other non-petroleum sources that can be used to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel include renewable feedstocks, such as the food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils, and other feedstocks.