Airlines Successfully Test Biofuels in Droves

You might have thought that with oil prices down so much, airlines would have abandoned their efforts to pursue alternative fuels. Fortunately, that hasn’t been the case, and a slew of tests have been in progress lately. Apparently, the airlines still realize that long term dependence on oil will not be the best plan.

First, Air New Zealand conducted a test on a 747 using a mixture of 50 percent traditional Jet A fuel and 50 percent jatropha on one engine. The beauty of jatropha is that it is a plant that’s toxic to humans and animals if eaten, so using this as fuel doesn’t interfere with food supplies. It also refines so well that it can just be dropped into an existing engine without modification. Sounds great, right? Well, that’s why it’s being used. The Air New Zealand flight was successful, and further testing will happen.

Then last week, Continental decided to do a similar test but using a twin-engined 737. One engine was powered by the same mix as described above. (At least, I believe it’s the same mix - there are different types of jatropha, I suppose.) Again, the test was a success, and this time, Continental noted that less jatropha was used than traditional fuel. That means it may produce more power per liter than jet fuel, and that’s tremendous.

The biggest problem with ethanol, besides the issue of competing with food supplies, is that it doesn’t pack much of a punch. You need more fuel to get the same power you get with standard fuel. In a car, that may not be a big deal, but in the air, every pound counts. Ethanol is a non-starter. But if jatropha can really do everything that’s being shown so far, this could be an excellent new fuel source in the future.

For excellent in-depth discussions of these flights, visit Plane Talking at enviro.aero.

Update on 1/12 @ 336p - For more on algae and biofuels, see this earlier piece on BNET.