Algae Brew Part Of Continental Biofuel Flight
Dec 8, 2008
Graham Warwick
[email protected]
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Continental Airlines has scheduled the first biofuel demonstration flight to include algae-derived fuel in the mix of fuel sources, for a Jan. 7 flight from Houston.
The non-revenue flight by a Boeing 737-800 will be the first by a U.S. airline, and the first to involve a twin-engined airliner. Air New Zealand is expected to conduct its delayed biofuel flight, with a Boeing 747-400, by year-end.
For the Continental flight, one of the 737's CFM International CFM56-7B engines will burn a blend of 50% traditional jet fuel and 50% biofuel produced from algae and jatropha oil. Air NZ will use a 50:50 blend of Jet-A1 and jatropha-derived biofuel.
Both algae and jatropha, an inedible plant that grows on arid and non-arable land, are regarded as sustainable, second-generation biofuel sources that do not impact food crops or water resources and do not contribute to deforestation.
The fuel for both trials has been produced using processing technology developed by Honeywell company UOP. The jatropha oil for both flights was sourced by Terrasol from plantations in southeastern Africa and India.
The algal oil was provided by Sapphire Energy and was produced from microalgae grown on open ponds in Hawaii by Cyanotech, says UOP. The algal and jatropha oils were mixed then processed into biofuel, the company says.
Continental test pilots will crew the passenger-less 737 for the demonstration flight with the No. 2 (right) engine burning biofuel. Tests will include accelerations/decelerations, in-flight shutdown and restart and other procedures.
Data recorded during flight and post-flight inspection of the engine is expected to contribute toward the eventual approval of biofuels as drop-in replacements for jet fuel. Standards body ASTM International anticipates approval of 50% biofuel blends by 2010.
