A study released May 25th documents an almost year-long effort by Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest (SAFN) to research the feasibility of large-scale biofuel production for the airline industry.Boeing’s Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy said at the press conference announcing the results of the research, aviation biofuel used in a 2008 testflight was “superior.” SAFN’s steering committee includes Boeing, Washington State University, Alaska Airlines, Spokane International Airport, and other aviation entities. The SAFN executive overview document says this is the first regional coalition in the U.S. to target exploration of sustainable fuels in the aviation sector. Among problems currently besetting the industry that are mentioned in the document is the wide fluctuations in the price of jet fuel. Possible sources for aviation biofuels, according the executive summary, were forest residues, algae, and solid waste.
According to a Nov. 29 Bloomberg report, “Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-biggest airline, plans to be the first carrier to test biofuels on regular passenger flights as the industry seeks ways to lower carbon-dioxide emissions and save on fuel purchases.” The article also reported a forecast from Boeing predicting as early as 2015 that one percent of the jet-fuel market would consist of biofuels.
Lufthansa, Europe’s number-two airline company, planned to have kerosene derived from plant oils contributing to as much as half of the fuel mix for an Airbus SAS A321 flying on the Hamburg-Frankfurt route.
sustainable fuel
