Honeywell, Airbus to Develop Biofuel

Airbus, Honeywell and partners JetBlue Airways and International Aero Engines are working toward the development of a biofuel, which the companies say could provide up to 30 percent of all commercial jet fuel by 2030. The plan is to convert biofeedstocks, such as algae and other vegetation, to commercial aviation fuel. The process, which Honeywell company UOP developed to convert natural oils and greases to military jet fuel as part of a project funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), produces “green” jet fuel that is a drop-in replacement for traditional kerosene-based jet fuel and meets all the critical performance specifications for flight, the companies said. "Over the last 40 years, aviation has reduced fuel burn - and therefore carbon dioxide emissions –– by 70 percent, but more needs to be done," said Sebastien Remy, head of alternative fuels research programs for Airbus. "Millions of barrels of kerosene are used each day for aircraft fuel, and worldwide demand is growing. In order to replace a significant portion of that jet fuel with bio-jet, we need to find something that has much greater yield than the current biomass sources available.” For related news