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.
Events
- 15-17 March 2010, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: World Biofuels Markets. (Themes: aviation, biodiesel, ethanol, feedstocks, ILUC, next-generation feedstocks, standards, sustainability)
- Includes a "Sustainable Biofuels Awards" evening.
- 27-29 April 2010, Washington, D.C., USA: Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference. (Themes: algae, biobutanol, camelina, cellulosic ethanol, jatropha, renewable diesel, renewable jet fuel)
- 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)
News
- British Airways to buy jet fuel from city waste, 16 February 2010 by Reuters: "British Airways will start sourcing a small portion of its jet fuel from municipal waste from 2014, under a deal with U.S.-based biofuel company Solena Group."
- "The plant would convert 500,000 tonnes of waste annually into 16 million gallons of green jet fuel."
- "The aviation fuel will be produced from gasification of the waste into a so-called syngas which is then converted by the Fischer Tropsch process into liquid fuel."[2]
- Aviation turns to China for biofuels capacity development, 13 September 2009 by Biofuels Digest: The "global aviation industry, which has set a target of 3 billion gallons of aviation biofuels by 2020, has begun an historic shift in focus to Chinese leadership in biofuels capacity development".
- "In related news, Boeing confirmed that it has commenced talks with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 'several Chinese universities' about a potential development of low-carbon aviation biofuels. CCTV is reporting that near-term opportunities for collaboration between Boeing and China’s alternative energy industry could focus on jatropha development in Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. According to Xinhua News Agency, China is projecting '13 million hectares of biofuel plantations by 2020,' primarily to meet increased internal energy needs."[3]
- Biofuels do well as jet fuel, Boeing says, 22 June 2009 by The Oregonian: "Good news for the struggling biofuels industry: The plant-derived fuels perform favorably as jet fuel, a study by Boeing and others in the aviation industry has concluded."
- "In the [U.S.] Northwest, Imperium Renewables is banking on jet fuel to help drive up demand for fuel from its 100 million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant near Grays Harbor, Wash. The plant is currently idled amid the economic downturn."
- "According to the study, a series of laboratory, ground and flight tests conducted between 2006 and 2009 indicated the test fuels performed as well as or better than typical petroleum-based Jet A fuel."
- "The study also showed the biofuel blends used in the test flight program met or exceeded all technical parameters for commercial jet aviation fuel. Those standards include freezing point, flash point, fuel density and viscosity, among others."
- "Each of the test flights used a different blend of biofuel sources: An Air New Zealand flight used fuel derived from jatropha; a Continental flight used a blend of jatropha and algae-based fuels; and a Japan Airlines flight used a blend of jatropha, algae and camelina-based fuels."[4]
- For Greening Aviation, Are Biofuels The Right Stuff?, 11 June 2009 by environment360: "Preliminary results from an Air New Zealand test flight in December show that burning biofuels — in this case jet fuel refined from jatropha oil — can cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60 percent compared to conventional fuel. And, as a bonus, about 1.4 metric tons of fuel could be saved on a 12-hour flight using a biofuel blend."
- "This month, the International Air Transport Association set a goal of achieving 'carbon neutral growth' — meaning an increase in air travel would not emit any more CO2 than the present fleet and flight schedule — by 2020. The keys will be increasing fuel efficiency by 1.5 percent per year and using biofuel blends, according to IATA."
- "The overwhelming challenge is how to produce enough biofuel to supply even a fraction of the more than 60 billion gallons of jet fuel burned every year by the world’s aircraft....Non-food plant sources, such as jatropha and camelina, are promising, but difficult to produce in large quantities and can end up displacing food crops or lead to deforestation if the price of fuel rises high enough."[5]
- FedEx to boost biofuel use to cut costs, emissions, 29 April 2009 by New York Times: "FedEx Corp. will attempt to get 30 percent of its fuel from petroleum alternatives by 2030 to slash the shipping giant's air-transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions".
- "Biodiesel derived from jatropha, ethanol from switchgrass, and other 'second-generation' biofuels produce less emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases than petroleum, CEO Fred Smith said during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce aviation forum."
- "In announcing FedEx's '30 by 30' initiative, Smith suggested that a portion of President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus plan should be used to fund research, development and deployment of such second-generation biofuels."[6]
- (Aviation) Commercial use of biofuels may take time, 25 April 2009 by TradingMarkets.com: "Despite broad optimism in the aviation industry about the commercial use of biofuels, experts in Asia believe this won't happen very soon."
- "On April 1, at the conclusion of an industry summit in Geneva, about 400 aviation and environment leaders set an industry timeline for aviation biofuels....By the end of the year, a set of environmental sustainability standards for aviation biofuels should be in place, they said in a summit declaration."
- "In his speech during the summit, Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of International Air Transport Association (IATA), noted that governments could provide tax and regulatory incentives and prioritize commercial production along with research investments....He also reiterated IATA's target for certification of sustainable biofuels by 2010 or 2011."
- "In a separate interview, biofuels specialist Florello Galindo, director of Manila-based Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies Inc. (AIPSI), said China and Japan, being the region's main players in aviation manufacturing, would likely determine the fate of aviation biofuel use in Asia."[7]
- Continental to Test Flight Powered by Biofuel, 8 December 2008, by MSNBC:
- "Continental Airlines Inc. said Monday it will test the use of a biofuel blend to power one of its jetliners on a flight that won't carry any passengers."
- "Airlines are studying the use of alternative fuels to help deal with volatile jet fuel prices that spiked to record highs this summer, and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases."
- "Continental said the plane on the Jan. 7 flight in Houston will use a special blend of half conventional fuel and half biofuel with ingredients derived from algae and jatropha plants." [8]
- 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."[9]
- 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".[10]
- 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.
Organizations
- Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) - "CAAFI is a coalition that focuses the efforts of commercial aviation to engage the emerging alternative fuels industry."[11]
- World Biojet Alliance - "an independent and impartial global organization founded to promote, conduct research, coordinate communications and provide innovative solutions for advanced biofuels used in aviation."[12]
| Transport - Related pages | edit | |
| Aviation (Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group) | Public transport | ||
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