Boeing to Test Aviation Biofuels

The Boeing Co., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial airliners, will begin testing jet fuel derived from algae and other biomass and says biofuels could become a feasible alternative within five years.

Faced with soaring fuel costs and the threat of tighter emissions regulations on both sides of the Atlantic, the airline industry is scrambling to find a cheaper, cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. Boeing says biofuel may be the answer.
Bill Glover, the company’s director of environmental strategy, tells Flight Global Boeing’s laboratory tests confirmed the practicality of producing jet fuel from a wider variety of feedstocks than previously believed and it thinks aviation biofuel can be mass-produced affordably.

The company plans to test the fuel during demonstration flights of 747s by Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand.

Expedito Parente, called by some the father of biodiesel and biokerosene, tells Tierramerica that biomass-derived jet fuel could become viable within two years. Commercial aircraft have a service life of 30 to 40 years, he says, and the need to ensure there will be affordable fuel to keep them going is spurring tremendous interest in biofuel.

Wired