Boeing 747 Will Fly For About An Hour In Late January
Sustainable Oils, a producer and marketer of renewable,
environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based biofuels will
participate in an historic flight by Japan Airlines (JAL) planned
for January 30, 2009. The demonstration flight will make JAL the
first Asian carrier to fly on fuel derived from sustainable
feedstocks, and the first airline to use camelina-based bio-jet
fuel.
"We're proud to have been selected to participate in this
historic event," said Tom Todaro, CEO of Sustainable Oils. "We are
dedicated to growing the market for camelina across the United
States and around the world. This flight will help growers see the
tremendous potential for camelina as a renewable energy
feedstock."
The company says camelina is well suited to be a sustainable
biofuel crop, as it naturally contains high oil content; its oils
are low in saturated fat; it is drought resistant and requires less
fertilizer and herbicides.
Most importantly, it is an excellent rotation crop with wheat,
and it can also grow in marginal land. Camelina does not displace
other crops or compete as a food source. It is estimated that the
state of Montana alone could support between 2 and 3 million acres
of camelina, generating 200 to 300 million gallons of oil each
year.
"Camelina is a dedicated energy crop that has the energy
properties we need to create a new source of aviation jet fuel,"
said Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy,
Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We're focused on creating sustainable
plant-derived jet fuel blends that meet or exceed all of the
current jet fuel specification properties, but not at the expense
of food crops or water resources. Camelina is a solid match in that
regard."
The approximately one-hour demo
flight out of Haneda Airport, Tokyo will be operated by JAL staff
with no passengers onboard. It will be the final stage in a 12
month process to conclusively confirm the sustainable biofuel's
operational performance capabilities and potential commercial
viability. The JAL biofuel flight is expected to bring the airline
industry significantly closer to finding a suitable sustainable
biofuel that will help reduce the impact of carbon dioxide
emissions (CO2) generated by aviation, while also reducing the
industry's reliance on traditional petroleum-based fuels.
"It's been my goal to help make Montana a leader in renewable
energy," said Governor Brian Schweitzer. "And today, we've reached
an important milestone toward that goal. Through camelina, our
state has the potential to create jobs, reduce our dependency on
fossil fuels and decrease carbon emissions. I look forward to
seeing that JAL 747 liftoff in January."
Camelina sativa (false flax), is a flowering plant in the
Brassicaceae family, which includes other oilseeds such as mustard
and rapeseed. Native to Northern Europe and Central Asia, the plant
also thrives in the plains areas of the United States, including
Montana. Sustainable Oils officially launched its camelina growers
program in the state last year, and is aggressively expanding the
number of growers and acres planted.
The fuel for the JAL demo flight was successfully converted from
plant-based crude oil to biojet fuel by Honeywell's UOP, a refining
technology developer, using proprietary hydro-processing technology
to complete the fuel conversion. The fuel was then blended with
typical jet fuel to create the 50 percent biofuel blend.