Aug 4 2010
Continental Airlines and British Airways are currently testing plant biofuels for jets. These biofuels are made from flora including jatropha and camelina is being taken for trials by many airlines such as Boeing Corporation.
Upon implementation, these fuels will facilitate the travel industry in reducing carbon emissions significantly. In the U.S., approximately 3% of the nation’s entire emissions are generated by airlines alone, with the yearly jet fuel consumption amounting to around 500 to 600 million oil gallons.
Various organizations such as Alaska Airlines, Washington State University and Boeing Corporation are presently working on projects for producing biofuels in America’s Pacific Northwest region. During the period of last three years, Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airlines have been running test flights.
The test fuels are made from a combination of coconut, camelina and jatropha biofuels, mixed with algae, with a flight of Air New Zealand making use of a 50%-biofuel blend. It has also been observed that the usage of camelina plant in jet engines could reduce 80% of emissions. More research is currently going on for jatropha and algae for standardizing and maximizing yield results for usage as biodiesel in the airlines industry.