Biofuels do well as jet fuel, Boeing says

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.

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 testing included several commercial airplane engine types using blends of up to 50 percent petroleum-based Jet A/Jet A-1 fuel and 50 percent biofuels.

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.

Using the blends had no adverse effects on the engines or their components, Boeing said.

The fuels have greater energy content by mass than typical petroleum-derived jet fuel — which potentially could lower fuel consumption per mile, the company said.

Oregon Live