Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) flew a demonstration flight yesterday powered in part by a biofuel made from algae and jatropha oil. It is the first U.S. commercial carrier to do so.
The algae oil was provided by Sapphire Energy, and the jatropha oil by
Terasol Energy. It was the first time a commercial carrier has power a
flight using fuel derived in part from algae.
The flight was conducted in partnership with Boeing (NYSE: BA), GE Aviation/CFM International, and Honeywell’s UOP (NYSE: HON), using a Boeing 737-800 equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B engines–two of which ran on a 50-50 blend of biofuel and traditional jetfuel.
During the flight, which lasted approximately two hours, Continental
test pilots engaged the aircraft in a number of normal and non-normal
flight maneuvers, such as mid-flight engine shutdown and re-start, and
power accelerations and decelerations. The flight carried no commercial passengers.
"The technical knowledge we gain today will contribute to a wider understanding of the future for transportation fuels," Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner said.
Biofuel blends are still years away from widespread commercial use, but
the hope is that they will allow for less petroluem based jet fuel in
coming years. Blended fuels result in a significant net decrease in
carbon emissions relative to traditional jet fuel, as both jatropha and
algae consume carbon during their lifecycles.
The biofuel is a "drop-in" fuel, and no modifications to the aircraft or engine are necessary for the flight to operate.
"We still have a lot of work to do in terms testing various biofuels but we are very pleased with, and encouraged by, the results we have achieved to date," said Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM International. "What we have found is that the second generation fuel being tested today comes closer to simulating the characteristics of traditional jet fuel in terms of engine performance and operability, such as fuel consumption, engine start and other parameters. We have also found that engines running this mix emit less smoke even than those fueled by traditional jet fuel."
Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) completed a test flight powered in part by biofuel made from jatropha several weeks ago.
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