JETS TO FLY BIOFUELS BY 2011

Plant-derived fuels could be certified for flights within a year, says Boeing exec
Katie Howel, May 29, 2009 (NY Times)

"Jet fuels derived from algae, camelina and jatropha -- plants that pack an energy punch, are not eaten as food and do not displace food crops -- could be approved and replacing petroleum fuels in commercial flights as early as next year, a Boeing executive said…

"Bill Glover, managing director of environmental strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which is leading an effort to develop, test and certify alternative jet fuels, said the technology is ready. Now, it is just a matter of growing enough non-food feedstock plants and refining enough of their oil."

The many possibilities of Jatropha. (click to enlarge)

"In the past year and a half, commercial airlines have flown four successful test flights using a variety of biofuel-jet fuel blends. Boeing was involved in all four flights, including a Virgin Atlantic flight using a coconut- and babassu-derived biofuel blend; an Air New Zealand flight using a jatropha-derived biofuel blend; a Continental Airlines flight using a blend of algae- and jatropha-derived biofuel; and a Japan Airlines flight using an algae-, jatropha- and camelina-derived biofuel blend…

"Not only has the industry proved the technical capability, but it also has shown that biofuels can improve overall fuel efficiency…Information like that likely will help the industry get second-generation biofuels certified as drop-in replacements for jet fuel…"

Algae is the best bet in the long run. (click to enlarge)

"Next month, a coalition headed by Boeing will release a full report on all the test flights. And after that, the international standards board that approves fuels and chemicals could certify plant-derived biofuels as jet A-1 fuel within a year, Glover said…Once the fuels are approved as jet A-1, they can immediately be used as drop-in replacements…Glover and other executives said they think the approval process will be smooth…And the certification does not have to be feedstock-dependent…

"Some feedstocks show more promise than others…[A]lgae is eight to 10 years away from production, whereas camelina is ready now…[T]he United States has the potential to produce about 1 billion gallons of camelina oil a year…That is only a drop in the bucket compared with the 65 billion gallons of fuel the aviation industry uses worldwide each year, but it is a start…And it shows that the industry is starting to scale up. Last month, Sapphire Energy, an algae biofuel company that participated in the Continental test flight, said it would be producing 1 million gallons of diesel and jet fuel a year by 2011…Any aviation-biofuel solution is going to involve a wide variety of feedstocks, the executives said…"