On the road to greener avaiation, Lufthansa announced Wednesday that the airline will begin using some biofuel for commercial flights in spring 2011, according to the website, BusinessGreen. In a press release, Neste Oil, based in Finland, announced that it will supply Lufthansa with a mixture of regular jet oil and the biofuel.
After expressing confidence that the first flight can take place in spring 2011, Matti Lievonen, Neste Oil’s president and CEO said, “Aviation fuels are covered by very strict quality standards, and our NExBTL technology has proved that it can produce a fuel meeting these standards,” stated the release.
The initial domestic flights will use a blend of 50 percent biofuel and 50 percent ordinary fuel in one engine and 100 percent ordinary fuel in the other. The fuel is produced from vegetable oil and animal fat, and will have 40 to 80 percent lower greenhouse emissions than ordinary petroleum-based fuel. The International Air Transport Association has set a goal that any growth in aviation will be carbon-free by 2020, which will require a large-scale adoption of renewable fuels.
According to Aviation Week, in order for Lufthansa to operate flights using the biofuel blend, ASTM International must grant approval of the trials. The organization, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a leader in helping industries to develop standards.
After expressing confidence that the first flight can take place in spring 2011, Matti Lievonen, Neste Oil’s president and CEO said, “Aviation fuels are covered by very strict quality standards, and our NExBTL technology has proved that it can produce a fuel meeting these standards,” stated the release.
The initial domestic flights will use a blend of 50 percent biofuel and 50 percent ordinary fuel in one engine and 100 percent ordinary fuel in the other. The fuel is produced from vegetable oil and animal fat, and will have 40 to 80 percent lower greenhouse emissions than ordinary petroleum-based fuel. The International Air Transport Association has set a goal that any growth in aviation will be carbon-free by 2020, which will require a large-scale adoption of renewable fuels.
According to Aviation Week, in order for Lufthansa to operate flights using the biofuel blend, ASTM International must grant approval of the trials. The organization, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a leader in helping industries to develop standards.
