Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/99312
trillion cubic feet, or 100 times current US reserves of natural gas. The combined energy content of methane hydrate may exceed all other known fossil fuels, according to the DOE. Not all is accessible, but high concentrations in permeable rock, where there's existing drilling infrastructure, would be among early candidates for development. The USGS, in 2008, estimated 85 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas within methane hydrate deposits on Alaska's North Slope. It will not be simply dug out of the ground but will be mined using existing drilling techniques. Methane could be extracted by lowering pressure or increasing temperature in an underground reservoir. The Alaska research focused on a method aimed at preserving the underground ice structure. In a laboratory, researchers injected carbon dioxide into methane hydrate. CO2 molecules swapped places with methane molecules, freeing the methane for harvesting and preserving the ice. CANADA COMPLETES FLIGHT POWERED BY 100% BIOFUEL Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. and the National Research Council of Canada [NRC] have successfully completed the world's first, civil jet flight powered by 100% dropin biofuel. The fuel was manufactured from Resonance Energy Feedstock produced by Agrisoma, the operating subsidiary of Calyx Bio-Ventures Inc. [CYXV-TSXV]. This historic flight symbolizes a significant step for the aerospace industry. The drop-in fuel was produced using Agrisoma Resonance Energy Feedstock, a dedicated industrial oilseed that was launched at commercial scale in 2012, across a broad region of western Canada. Resonance Energy Feedstock produces DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013 unique industrial oil, ideally suited for biofuel manufacturing. Resonance is part of a new generation of sustainable and scalable biomass crops, specially developed to provide a non-food oil that represents a step change for the renewable fuels industry, breaking the reliance on food crops to supply feedstock for biofuel manufacturing. To date, flights on biofuels have been restricted to a 50% blend with petroleum, imposing limitations on fuel use. Using Applied Research Associates' proprietary catalytic hydrothermolysis process, oil from Resonance Energy Feedstock was converted into a fuel that represents a complete replacement for conventional jet fuel, enabling flight at 100% biofuel use, a breakthrough for the renewable fuels industry. "Today, I flew the world's first 100% biofuel flight,'' said Tim Leslie, NRC pilot. "We have been working hard with our partners for many months, and it is most rewarding to see it all come together." Steven Fabijanski, President and CEO of Agrisoma, who was present on the tarmac, said "To date, all powered flight has relied on fossil fuel. This flight changes everything; we have witnessed petroleum-free aviation." n 1/3pSquareDEC2012:Layout 1 12-12-10 4:13 PM Page 1 Rare Earths for a More Sustainable World www.avalonraremetals.com www.resourceworld.com 75