Aviation industry
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Bioenergy > Biofuels/Technologies > Aviation
Information about biofuels and bioenergy and aviation.
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Issues
- "Sustainable" aviation/jet fuel:
- A number of airlines and aircraft manufacturer Boeing created the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group in September 2008.
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Events
- 23-24 October 2008, Seattle, Washington, USA: 2008 Algae Biomass Summit.
- This conference will "survey the emerging industry exploring the use of algae as a feedstock for biofuels and other sustainable commodities."([1]) (Themes: algae, aviation, technology)
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News
- Boeing, Virgin join group committed to biofuel for commercial jets, 26 September 2008 by WBCSD/ENN: "Boeing joined Virgin Atlantic Airways and eight other airlines this morning to pledge to speed up the development of sustainable, second-generation biofuels for use in the commercial aviation industry."
- "As members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, the aircraft maker and airlines will receive advice and support from both the World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council."
- "'This task force comes at just the right time to help airlines cut costs and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions,' said Liz Barratt-Brown, an NRDC senior attorney."
- "The group has announced two initial sustainability research projects to judge the viability of two leading contenders for biomass-based renewable jet fuel: Jatropha curcas and algae."[2]
- Biofuel, Partly From Nuts, Is Tested on an Airline Flight, 25 February 2008, by the New York Times: "Virgin Atlantic Airways, the British carrier controlled by Richard Branson, tested a jumbo jet on Sunday that was partly powered by a biofuel made from babassu nuts and coconut oil, a first for a commercial aircraft."
- "Virgin and G.E. tested a number of biofuels before choosing coconut and babassu because they were suitable in initial tests and would not compete with staple food supplies or cause deforestation, the airline said. Babassu nuts are harvested from palms by local workers from the Amazonian rain forest." The biofuel was supplied by US-based [www.imperiumrenewables.com/ Imperium Renewables].
- Reactions to the experimental flight:
- Time Magazine pointed out that only 5% of the total fuel was actually biofuels and that "if biofuel ever takes off in aviation, it will likely be a decade before it has any noticeable impact on industry emissions".[3]
- Scientific American noted that "such biofuel may end up causing rather than curing climate change, according to recent studies. In addition, fuel from the world's limited supply of coconuts could drive up the price of the cooking oil as well as lead to further clearing of endangered rainforests in Southeast Asia for palm plantation expansion." While this was the first major aviation trial for biodiesel, SciAm notes that more than "1,000 crop dusters in Brazil" routinely fly using "100 percent ethanol". Algae is a more promising feedstock for aviation biodiesel, which may be viable in 10-20 years, according to a quoted Boeing expert.
