“Cool break for biotechnology!
On Tuesday, an Air New Zealand airplane successfully completed a flight that used a hybrid veggie oil fuel.
This biofuel could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, according to airline reps.
One engine of a Boeing 747-400 airplane was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel.
There’s been a real push this year for alternative fuels by airlines, which were slammed by super high oil costs earlier in the year.
Coupled with the massive economic crisis at hand it’s not surprising that cost-saving innovations are being embraced.
An Air New Zealand rep couldn’t say if the veggie oil blend would be cheaper than standard jet fuel, since jatropha is not yet produced on a commercial scale.
Biofuels were once dismissed for use in aviation because most freeze at the low temperatures up in the skies.
But this new test shows jatropha, whose seeds yield an oil already used to produce fuels like biodiesel, has an even lower freezing point than jet fuel.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe said to the media, “Today we stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and an important moment in aviation history.”
The company has also stated that their goal is to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline.
We hope they reach that goal and that the others follow suit!
[Image via AP Images.]” via PerezHilton