Flying high with non-food biofuel

Mumbai: A couple of days earlier, KLM Royal Dutch became the first airline in the world to operate a commercial flight, carrying 171 passengers, on bio-kerosene produced from used cooking fuel oil.
Boeing was also closely involved in making this possible. KLM said it would be operating at least 200 flights to Paris on bio-kerosene in September.
KLM has highlighted a new trend. Aviation biofuels have been used in test flights by many airlines, seeking alternatives to fossil fuels in a bid to reduce costs. The aim is to halve emissions by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. The airlines include Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, JAL, Aeromexico, TAROM, Continental Airlines and Boeing.
The European aviation industry plans to achieve its goal by targeting two million tonnes of bio-kerosene use per year by 2020, and the International Air Transport Association is aiming for a six per cent mix of biofuels by 2020. Closer home, Kingfisher Airlines last year entered into a three-year agreement with Anna University, Chennai, for a research collaboration programme to explore alternative energy sources. The two sides are expected to work closely to develop biofuel for use in aircraft and ground vehicles used at airports.
Conventional jet fuel is made from kerosene (also called paraffin), which comes from crude oil and various other chemicals. Bio-kerosene is kerosene derived from biomass (living matter). It typically refers to organic material such as plants or animal fat, including agricultural and municipal waste products, but excluding food products. Biodiesel can be made from animal fats, including tallow, lard, poultry fat and fish oil. Bioethanol is made by fermenting the sugar components of plant materials and is made mostly from sugar and starch crops. It is widely used in the US and in Brazil.
Biofuel development in India centres primarily around jatropha plant seeds. Jatropha oil has been used in India for several decades as biodiesel and can be used directly after extraction (without refining) in diesel generators and engines. According to the International Energy Agency, biofuels have the potential to meet at least a quarter of world demand for transportation fuel by 2050. The Indian government identified 400,000 square km (98 million acres) where jatropha can be grown.
01/07/11 Leslie D'Monte & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Categories: New Jul 2011