Quantcast





RSS
January 30, 2009 | Jim Lane | Comments 6

Japan Airlines biofuels flight test a success; camelina, algae, jatropha used in B50 biofuel mix; fuel economy higher than Jet-A

jal-747In Japan, Japan Airlines became the fourth airline to successfully flight test biofuels in the past year, and the first to successfully demonstrate camelina as a biofuel feedstock.

The airline conducted a one-hour 747-300 flight test using a B50 blend of camelina, jatropha and algae based biofuel in the number 3 engine.

The jatropha was supplied by Terrasol, algae oil by Sapphire Energy, and the camelina oil by Sustainable Oils. The biofuel was 84 percent camelina, 16 percent jatropha, and less than one percent algae.The fuel was processed by Honeywell’s UOP subsidiary, and supplied by a joint venture of UOP and JGC, Nikki Universal.

In ground tests conducted yesterday, the pilots reported that the biofuel was more fuel efficient than 100 percent traditional jet-A fuel (kerosene), a finding consistent with the Continental test last month, and indicates that biofuels may not only be a carbon-neutral option, but a more fuel efficient one.

Pratt & Whitney, which manufactures the engines used in the test, confirmed that the biofuel met of exceeded performance criteria established for commercial aviation jet fuel. Boeing Japan president Nicole Piasecki said that the company is hopeful of flying revenue passenger flights within 3-5 years using biofuels.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter


bdnl091008Subscribe FREE to the world's most-widely read biofuels daily. Enter your email in the box below,
or click here to subscribe:

Related Stories


  • Japan Airline to trial camelina, jetopha, algae based biofuel in 747-400 test flight on January 30th
    • In Montana, Sustainable Oils said that Japan Airlines will stage a one-hour Boeing 747 test flight on January 30, 2009, using camelina-based biodiesel as a test fuel. The fuel will be processed by UOP...
  • Continental Airlines to test algae, jatropha in B50 blend in January 7th 737 test flight
    • In Texas, Continental Airlines set a date of January 7th for a test of algae and jatropha-based biodiesel in a Boeing 737. The airline said that it has worked for nine months on production and testing...
  • Latest on aviation biofuels includes reports on algae, camelina and jatropha
    • In Connecticut, e360.com wrote a cogent summary on aviation biofuels in "For Greening Aviation - Are Biofuels The Right Stuff?". The article covers the flight test timeline from Virgin Atlantic's Feb ...
  • The Top 10 Biofuels Stories of 2008: #10, Airlines test biofuels
    • Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand completed 747 biofuel tests this year, with Virgin testing a B20 blend using babassu palm oil and coconut oil in February while Air New Zealand used a B50 blend fro...
  • KLM to test biofuels with passengers on flight, on November 23
    • In the Netherlands, KLM announced that it would become the first airline to test biofuels on a passenger flight. The company said that it would utilize a 50/50 mixture of camelina and standard jet fue...
  • Targeted Growth: 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy candidate profile
    • Targeted Growth Based in: Washington 2008-09 ranking: Unranked Business: Targeted Growth is a bioscience company, developing technologies that both increase seed size and yield in major crops. It...

    Hot Topics


    The Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy
    Latest algae-to-energy news
    Latest jatropha news
    Latest Waste-to-energy news

    Entry Information

    Filed Under: Featured • Top Story

    Tags: • • • • •

    RSSComments: 4  |  Post a Comment  |  Trackback URL

    1. bobfharris | Feb 3, 2009 | Reply

      Good story.. However the picture editor needs some assistance. Photo is not of a 747..Clue only two engines in the photo and no second deck where the flight deck is located.. Perhaps the story writer should contact JAL for a better photo
      This one in the photo is possibly a 767..but hard to tell..

    2. bobfharris | Feb 3, 2009 | Reply

      Kudos to the editor for the quick change of the photo to a 747.. Appreciate the response…

    3. chumroen | May 5, 2009 | Reply

      Is the biofuel derived from camelina oil tom replace teh mineral Jet fuel
      (Kerosene-A1) econmiclly viable.
      Since tyeh camelina oil is much more expensive than the miceral/fossil crude oil.
      The aviation industry have to spend more money for the Biofuel (Camelina Jet Fuel).

      It is in big doubt to be sucess

    4. chumroen | Jul 5, 2009 | Reply

      Why did Japan Air Line ’s Bio Jet Fuel have the Camelina oil as the major feed stock while the other two airline Continental airline and Air NewZealand were havig the Jatropha oil as feed stock for their Bio Jet Fuel.
      Is it because of the availability or the lower cost feeds tock.

    Trackbacks: 2  |  Trackback URL

    1. From ReGeneration - ReGeneration Roundup: 2004-04-28 on Apr 28, 2009
    2. From ReGeneration Roundup: 2004-04-28 | Green Organic Recycle on Apr 29, 2009

    RSSPost a Comment  |  Trackback URL

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Previous Post
    Next Post