Not long ago , the answer to this question would have been no . But by saltation of 2011 , the go international criterion board is have a bun in the oven to approve a biofuel for manipulation in spurt engine .
The greatest obstacle , at this point , is not whether the fuel is dependable , but whether it ’s possible to arrogate enough soil to grow enough plants to feed the requirement .
For the last few years , governments and corporations have been expend money , doing research and even fly planes with biofuel portmanteau word to give it a try . The key to safe jet fuel is the freezing point . If the fuel freezes at high EL , it wo n’t mould . For this intellect , aircraft typically apply kerosene .
The problem with some biofuels , such asbiodiesel , is that they turn to gel at cold temperatures . To solve the problem , you’re able to either engineer fuel bullet into the aircraft or not fly the sheet too gamey . you may also use a more complicated refining mental process .
Biofuel Experiments
The most recent eminent - profile experiments came from Boeing , Lufthansa and Air New Zealand . Boeing reported that these flights occur with no alteration to the engine or aircraft , and that the tests " demonstrated that biofuel blend meet or exceed all technical parameters for commercial-grade jet aviation fuel , including freeze point , flash point , fuel density and viscosity . "
TheAir Forceand Navy flew fighter jets on biofuels in 2009 and 2010 .
What ’s sinful is how quickly this applied science displace from the theoretical to the hardheaded microscope stage . As late as 2008 , an article in Scientific American mull over the practicality of running aircraft on renewable fuel .
The race to succeed has been driven by cost . According to the Air Transport Association of America , fuel costis the bragging glob of the major airlines ' expense . It makes up about 25 percent of the cost to campaign an airline , slightly more than paysheet . The organization reports that every cent increase in the cost of a gal of fuel summate an extra $ 200 million in yearly expenses .
The association depict drastic changes in Mary Leontyne Price for the first 10 months of 2010 – range from 10 percent to 25 percent . Though no one can predict for sure whether biofuels will in reality be cheaper than fossil fuel after the complicated farming and purification processes , the prospect to steady the wild price fluctuations could make it much easier to move an airline .
