Who cares what sort of fuel powers the plane? For most people, that’s a technical issue – best dealt with by aviation engineers.
Airlines, however, are increasingly keen to come up with alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel as they are facing mounting pressure to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
As Airlines are all set to be included in the emissions-trading systems, they will soon be forced to pay for their exhaust.
It makes sense that airlines are looking to biofuels as the better solution because it can be used in existing engine technology, without needing radical- and extremely costly- modifications and re-engineering.
Due to their inclusion in the emissions-trading system, airlines will also have a vested interest in their Carbon footprint; they are not going to embark on plans to clear rainforest, savannahs, wetland or other natural vegetation to grow their biofuel feedstock, as this will only increase their carbon footprint, rather than decrease it.
They plan to produce their biofuel from wasteland, or land not considered arable.
Jatropha fits the bill perfectly as a non-food crop that does not compete with food crop for arable land, and can be cultivated on waste land.
Jatropha is now poised to take on a new application in the highly profitable aviation industry, as extensive studies are now underway to use Jatropha to fuel aircraft.
Everyone with a vested interest in Biofuels was celebrating Virgin’s successful biofuel flight test last Sunday, which was done in conjunction with Boeing and General Electric Co.
The biofuel for this historic flight was supplied by Seattle’s Imperium Renewables, which overcame a problem that many fuel experts thought was insurmountable- producing a biofuel that wouldn’t freeze at -47° C, the toughest aviation standard.
(Imperium Renewables were a part of JatrophaWorld 2008-Jakarta, and we would like to extend our congratulations to their team for their discovery and for making aviation history!)
In the wake of Virgin’s successful test, the industry will now be closely watching for Air New Zealand, Boeing and engine maker Rolls-Royce’s test which is scheduled to run next year.
According to the New Zealand herald, one engine of an Air New Zealand Boeing 747 will run on a blended biofuel/kerosene mix and the other three engines will be powered by regular aviation fuel.
Air New Zealand’s research is concentrated on Jatropha and algae based biofuels.
Fuel has now become the single greatest expense that airlines face, and accounts for more than half the total cost of a single long-haul flight. With Oil prices set to remain around current levels in the foreseeable future, airlines will be pushing hard to find a viable source of renewable fuel.
With the industry poised on such an important milestone, we are honored to be a part of JatrophaWorld 2008 to chart Jatropha’s movement into new paradigms.
What do YOU think about Jatropha in the aviation industry? We look forward to hearing your opinions on the matter, and invite you to share your comments and views on the matter!
#1. Jatropha for Jet fuel, the future is NOW. New-generation biofuels may help to keep air fares down as well as fight global warming!, February 28th, 2008
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt Who cares what sort of fuel powers the plane? For most people, that’s a technical issue – best dealt with by aviation engineers. Airlines, however, are increasingly keen to come up with alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel as they are facing mounting pressure to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As Airlines are all set to be included in the emissions-trading systems, they will soon be forced to pay for their exhaust. It makes sense that airlines are looking to biofuels as the better [...]
#2. Ricardo Morales, March 5th, 2008
Where can a get 37,000 metric tons of jatropha crude oil to be shipped to Philladelphia , Penn. from serious supplier.? There is to many fraud warning in todays internet suppliers.
#3. divyasangam, March 5th, 2008
Hey Ricardo,
I think that your concern is a valid one. There is often no way we can determine a genunie supplier from a fraudulant one on the internet.
In fact, many of the delegates at JatrophaWorld 2008 Jakarta told me about this. Quite a few of them were there to source for suppliers as well.
As we had large-scale planters with plantations in Asia, Africa and South America, the delegates sourcing for seeds and oil were able to make successful hook-ups.
The best option for you will be to come to our JatrophaWorld 2008 Miami event. I’m not saying this because I want to sell you our event. but consider it in this way; you can personally assess if your ‘supplier’ is genuine as you get to interact with him face to face.
You will find that our conference attracts those with serious business interests, so you can quite confidently expect to find your supplier at JatrophaWorld 2008- Miami.
The JatrophaWorld 2008 team.
#4. KaboomStocks.com, March 5th, 2008
I added your feed to our site.
Nice work.
Admin
#5. Mike Spinelli, May 16th, 2008
The possibility for Jatropha production side by side with Sugar Can Ethanol is decades overdue for the Caribbean, especially Haiti.
I hope to personally become involved in this long overdue project and welcome others who may want to join this venture to share the capital investment.
The potential for Jatropha is unlimited for Haiti and the Caribbean.
Mike Spinelli MCC FTS