In San Francisco, where I live, I run a 1985 Mercedes diesel sedan on biofuel -- recycled vegetable oil, to be precise. But even in the green-savvy Bay Area, biofuel pumps are hard to find. In these days of sky-high gas prices at the petroleum pumps, biofuel for cars as an industry is still in its infancy, and showing few signs of growth. But just look up, in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane -- it's a plane soaring on aviation biofuel!
But will aviation fuel exhaust smell like french fries? I swear, my old Mercedes almost smells like a McDonald's as it puts-puts down the highway.
Flying from New York to Honolulu emits an average of 2-plus tons of greenhouse gases per passenger. For an entire year the average American emits 21 tons of carbon. In other words, air travel is definitely carbon intensive even if it accounts overall for only about 2% of global carbon emissions.
Biofuel is made from renewable organic raw materials. The plants used in the production of biofuel absorb carbon dioxide, which is released back into the atmosphere when the biofuel combusts. The use of biofuels has the potential of reducing aviation carbon emissions by up to 80% over the long term.
Airlines today continue to reel from oil's price volatility--and are sensitive to outcries from their customers when surcharges and other fees are levied as a result. They also know that they depend on a natural resource that is running out. Thus it's no surprise, really, that these businesses are especially keen on finding alternative fuels that do the job.
For example:
Before the end of August 2011, Finnair will fly the world's longest commercial flight on biofuel, from Amsterdam to Helsinki. Just like my Mercedes, this plane will be fueled on recycled veggie oil. Except that it will be mixed equally with ordinary aviation for this test.
June 2011: The first biofueled aircraft to complete a transatlantic flight followed Charles Lindbergh's route from New Jersey to France. It was a Gulfstream jet owned by Honeywell, which is developing Honeywell Green Jet Fuel. Again, a 50/50 blend was used, and only in one of the two engines. But still, the jet touched down safely in Paris. The biofuel was made from a relative of the mustard plant called camelina, which is a non-food cover crop that also grows well on poor soil not suitable for most agriculture.
Another promising biofuel source is a weed-like, non-edible plant called jatropha. Among the airlines which have successfully tested jatropha fuel are Air New Zealand, Continental, Japan Airlines, Mexico's Interjet (partnered with manufacturer Airbus) and Brazil's TAM Airlines. Jatropha has the advantage of being able to thrive on very poor soil that is unsuitable for food crops.
To date, a total of 16 test flights by Honeywell have successfully used petroleum alternatives like camelina and jatropha. Algae is also promising as a biofuel source. All are inedible and sustainable, and none required any change to the aircraft engines.
Not competing for prime agricultural land is key. The plants used for aviation biofuel, as Finnair states in a recent press release about its alternative fuel tests, must "significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, must not compromise food production or lead to biodiversity degradation or deforestation." But do they smell like french fries?
But will aviation fuel exhaust smell like french fries? I swear, my old Mercedes almost smells like a McDonald's as it puts-puts down the highway.
Flying from New York to Honolulu emits an average of 2-plus tons of greenhouse gases per passenger. For an entire year the average American emits 21 tons of carbon. In other words, air travel is definitely carbon intensive even if it accounts overall for only about 2% of global carbon emissions.
Biofuel is made from renewable organic raw materials. The plants used in the production of biofuel absorb carbon dioxide, which is released back into the atmosphere when the biofuel combusts. The use of biofuels has the potential of reducing aviation carbon emissions by up to 80% over the long term.
Airlines today continue to reel from oil's price volatility--and are sensitive to outcries from their customers when surcharges and other fees are levied as a result. They also know that they depend on a natural resource that is running out. Thus it's no surprise, really, that these businesses are especially keen on finding alternative fuels that do the job.
For example:
Before the end of August 2011, Finnair will fly the world's longest commercial flight on biofuel, from Amsterdam to Helsinki. Just like my Mercedes, this plane will be fueled on recycled veggie oil. Except that it will be mixed equally with ordinary aviation for this test.
June 2011: The first biofueled aircraft to complete a transatlantic flight followed Charles Lindbergh's route from New Jersey to France. It was a Gulfstream jet owned by Honeywell, which is developing Honeywell Green Jet Fuel. Again, a 50/50 blend was used, and only in one of the two engines. But still, the jet touched down safely in Paris. The biofuel was made from a relative of the mustard plant called camelina, which is a non-food cover crop that also grows well on poor soil not suitable for most agriculture.
Another promising biofuel source is a weed-like, non-edible plant called jatropha. Among the airlines which have successfully tested jatropha fuel are Air New Zealand, Continental, Japan Airlines, Mexico's Interjet (partnered with manufacturer Airbus) and Brazil's TAM Airlines. Jatropha has the advantage of being able to thrive on very poor soil that is unsuitable for food crops.
To date, a total of 16 test flights by Honeywell have successfully used petroleum alternatives like camelina and jatropha. Algae is also promising as a biofuel source. All are inedible and sustainable, and none required any change to the aircraft engines.
Not competing for prime agricultural land is key. The plants used for aviation biofuel, as Finnair states in a recent press release about its alternative fuel tests, must "significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, must not compromise food production or lead to biodiversity degradation or deforestation." But do they smell like french fries?
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