Boeing explores using biofuel to power jets

from The Wichita Eagle
BY TRACY ALLOWAY
Bloomberg News Service

LONDON - Boeing Co. said its planes may fly on a mix of biofuel and jet kerosene within five years.

The company has been examining the use of alternative fuels for two years, environment director Billy Glover said. A Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747 is scheduled to make the first biofuel-powered test flight for a commercial plane later this month.

Boeing is focusing on so-called second-generation biofuels, which would be more environmentally friendly, Glover said. Algae has the "highest yield potential," he said. Oil from Babassu nuts -- grown in South America -- and the hardy Jatropha bush also are being considered.

"It can't be much more expensive, if any. How it's going to be price-competitive will depend on the processes selected, it'll depend on policy elements around biofuel, whether or not there's any assistance."

First-generation fuels such as vegetable oil may use up scarce water resources and compete with subsistence food crops in poorer countries.

"I think we're going to have a commercial product within about five or six years," Glover said. The percentage of biofuel in the blend will initially be "fairly low" because of the difficulty in producing it, he said.

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