Bio-fuel Rocket Launch
Reaching an altitude of approximately 20,000 ft and possibly exceeded Mach 1, the 20 foot tall, 180 lb rocket from Flometrics, Inc. produced approximately 1000 pounds of thrust, burned for 14 second, reached an altitude of 20,000 feet and ran cleaner than the rockets using the standard RP-1 refined kerosene rocket fuel.
The fuel was created and produced by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota from completely renewable crop oils, such as canola and soybeans and and meets all of the screening criteria for JP-8 aviation fuel, a petroleum-based fuel widely used by the U.S. military.
EERC Director Gerald Groenewold was quoted as saying “Our fuel is already providing a pathway to energy security to the U.S. military and now is becoming an option for ground-to-air missiles and even space flight.”
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