November 13, 2011

Flying on a Wing and Oil from Plants

A new era in aviation dawned this week in the U.S. with the first flights powered by biofuels. David Biello reports

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If you flew from Houston to Chicago on November 7, your jet might have been fueled by something new—specially grown algae.

United Flight 1403 burned a blend of traditional petroleum-based jet fuel and bio-jet fuel refined from algal oil.

And on November 9, Alaska Airlines flew the first of a planned 75 flights on a blend of regular kerosene and synthetic fuels made from used cooking oil.

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Bio-jet fuel has gone commercial.

Over the last five years, Boeing, the U.S. Air Force and Navy, Honeywell UOP and others have systematically tested and advanced the alternative fuel. Bio-jet fuel has been made from the plants jatropha, camelina and others.

With new regulations on CO2 emissions expected in the E.U., cutting carbon is a new flight deck priority. Bio-jet fuels are at least six times more expensive for now, but also allow airlines to combat climate change—the CO2 spewed by burning the bio-jet fuel is equal to the CO2 absorbed during plant growth. And planes fly further on the new fuel.

In fact, since July European airlines have been flying on bio-jet blends. Seems like they’re really taking off.

—David Biello

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

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