Rocket science: Jet test should spark quest for new biofuels.

An Air New Zealand jet thundered through the sky on a two-hour flight this week — on a 50-50 blend of ordinary fuel and one made of seeds from the African desert.

The successful flight was promising for the airline industry, and truly exciting for the environment and the hope for national fuel autonomy.

Tuesday’s test was the first commercial air flight to use fuel from the jatropha weed. It performed “well through both the fuel system and engine,” Air New Zealand’s chief pilot told the BBC.
No one expects jatropha to replace jet fuel, in part because it lacks the important hydrocarbon rings that help seal jet engines in flight.

But the humble seed oil does reflect the exciting quest for new biofuels — energy that can reduce the need for petroleum with less environmental stress and more bang for the production buck.

Houston Chronicle