Airlines test biofuels in jets

British Airways and Continental Airlines are in the process of testing jet fuels made from plants. The biofuels made from flora, such as camelina and jatropha, are being trialled by the Boeing Corporation along with a number of airlines.

If implemented, the fuels would help the travel industry greatly reduce its carbon emissions. In the US along, airlines generate about three per cent of the entire country’s emissions, with one per cent of the annual jet fuel consumption being equal to about 500-600 million gallons of oil.

Various organisations, including Boeing, Washington State University, and Alaska Airlines and currently working to try and produce biofuels in the Pacific Northwest of America.  Japan Airlines, Continental, Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand have also been carrying out test flights over the last three years.

The fuels being tested are made up from a mixture of jatropha, camelina and coconut biofuels blended with algae, with the Air New Zealand flight using a blend of 50 per cent biofuel. The use of camelina in jet engines can reduce emissions by up to 80 per cent according to studies. The plant comes from the same family as the cauliflower and the cabbage.

Jatropha seeds can be used to make biodiesel as they are 40 per cent oil, but their growth has not yet been standardised enough to yield consistent results. Alage oil is also popular but more research into how to maximise oil yields is ongoing within the industry.