- 83 reads
On Nov. 23, Dutch airline KLM completed its first Boeing 747 test flight using biofuel with passengers on board. The demonstration flight was carried out at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam powered by biokerosene, an equal mix of sustainable biofuels and traditional kerosene. As the airline industry moves toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the demonstration flight marks the first ever flight in Europe on biokerosene, a fuel KLM has been exploring since 2007.
The same day, the airline announced a partnership with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates to form the SkyEnergy consortium to lead sustainability in aviation.
“The Netherlands should make good use of this leading position to ensure clean, silent and sustainable air transport worldwide,” said KLM Royal Dutch Airlines President & CEO Peter Hartman. “This is technically feasible. We have demonstrated that it is possible. Government, industry and society at large must now join forces to ensure that we quickly gain access to a continuous supply of biofuel.”
The SkyEnergy venture will receive environmental advice from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). KLM’s president emphasized the importance of preserving forest and water resources and biodiversity.
Honeywell’s Green Jet Fuel
The biokerosene was produced by UOP LLC, a subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. UOP’s technology was used to convert oil from camelina, a flowering, inedible plant, to green jet fuel. Because camelina is able to grow where other food crops cannot, it is considered sustainable in that its cultivation and harvesting do not impact food, land or water resources, according to Honeywell.
This technology was used in prior test flights in the United States, Japan and New Zealand, which Honeywell said revealed its biofuel performs as well, if not better, than petroleum-based jet fuel.
More Green Fuel
Alternative fuels are being used as well in cars. Volkswagen is turning to natural gas as a viable green fuel. VW built a Scirocco to run on bio-based compressed natural gas and raced it in a 24-hour endurance race in Germany and won, according to Wired magazine. VW is launching a series of races in 2010 with cars running on the compressed natural gas, which it says will be the cleanest car race yet.
VW says running the fuel will reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent over conventional fuels. The German automaker claims that will make the Scirocco Cup the cleanest auto race on the planet. VW’s alternative fuel is made from renewable resources such as grass or biological waste and is CO2-neutral, Wired says.
Meanwhile, clean diesel is the fuel of the 2010 Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. The Audi A3 TDI was recognized at the Los Angeles Auto Show for its 42 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, quiet clean diesel engine. The Audi features a 50 percent improvement over the gasoline-based version of the A3, low emissions and LED daytime running lights.
Since 2007, The Indy Racing League has used ethanol, first as a 90% methanol/10% ethanol blend and then a 100%-grade ethanol. A debate is currently brewing within the automotive and environmental arenas about raising the amount of ethanol fuel companies can blend into fuel to 15 percent. The use of cleaner fuels in racing has been advocated by Indy driver Leilani Münter, who is also promoting energy efficiency with LED Saving Solutions’ program to reduce energy consumption through more efficient lighting.
