Aviation Industry Considers the Use of More Biofuels to Cut Emissions and Reduce Costs
As reported in earlier posts, non-European Union airlines may soon be subject to the EU Emissions Trading System (“ETS”). As airlines face pressure to reduce carbon emissions and to cut their $200 billion annual fuel bill, many are weighing the advantages of using more aviation biofuels, in addition to employing improved fuel efficient designs and materials. Yesterday, United Airlines made the first domestic commercial flight from Houston, Texas to Chicago, Illinois powered by a biofuel blend from San-Francisco based Solazyme, Inc., which is 60 percent traditional jet fuel and 40 percent algae-based biofuel. In addition, on Wednesday, Alaska Airlines plans to begin 75 regular passenger flights from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon and to Washington, D.C. fueled by a 20 percent biofuel blend made from used cooking oil. (Chicago Tribune)
Last month, another airline announced its plans to fly its passengers on a waste gas-based fuel by 2014, thus cutting its carbon footprint in half. Virgin Atlantic Airways plans to be the first airline to use waste gas from industrial steel production to move well beyond its initial pledge of a 30 percent carbon reduction per passenger by 2020. Virgin is a pioneer in this area, flying a Boeing 747 from London to Amsterdam in 2008 on a mixture of babassu oil and coconut oil and stands to be a leader moving forward. (Environmental Leader)
Biofuels, however, are not without critics, as biofuels often are produced from first-generation edible crops or from plants that consume arable land that would have otherwise been used for edible crops. To solve this dilemma, the aviation industry is turning to other plant sources that grow in arid conditions as well as municipal organic waste to convert into aviation fuel.
Commercial airlines are certainly moving toward taking advantage of biofuels. It is only a matter of time before business and corporate aircrafts follow. As this issue progresses please check back to this blog for future posts.
