Biofuels : Algae & Jatropha on the menu

Biofuels do have a potential positive impact on climate change, but opinions are sharply divided over claims that they can meet projected growth in global energy needs

on january 7, a continental Airlines Boeing 737 flew an hour and 40 minutes with one engine powered by a 50:50 mix of conventional Jet-A1 and biofuel. The biofuel was itself a blend of algae and jatropha oil—a drop-in fuel which did not require engine modification. This trial, at Houston, Texas, was the first by a US carrier and the first to evaluate oils from algae and jatropha. It was the latest in a series of demonstrations that began in February 2008 when an Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner, became the first to use an alternative fuel—a 40:60 mix of gas-to-liquid fuel and standard jet fuel in one of its four engines. The next step could be biomass-to-liquid fuel, which can use anything from wood chips to crops. Later the same month, Virgin Atlantic tested a 20:80 mix of biofuel and Jet-A1 in one engine of a Boeing 747. The Continental test was the first on a twin-jet; the others have all been four-engine planes. This indicates growing confidence in biofuels, since losing one engine out of four is hardly as problematic as losing one of two.

A scheduled passenger flight could be powered by biofuel within three years, and one tenth of all aviation fuel could be obtained from sustainable plant sources by 2017. However, the amount of biofuel required is staggering since worldwide the airlines burn nearly 945 million litres of fuel daily. Making algae oil is also a huge challenge, from perfecting the growth of the organism and its oil production to extracting the product in a cost-effective manner. Many new refineries need to be built to produce enough oil. In the meantime, efforts to grow jatropha—which flourishes even in poor soil—are being accelerated. Millions of saplings have already been planted in Africa and India. It is hoped that jatropha will be at the correct price point—$80 per barrel or less—within three to five years and algae in eight to 10 years.

A handful of airlines are now testing this new generation of sustainable biofuels that could help cut fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions. The industry is trying out a variety of feed stocks—jatropha, camelina, algae and others—to create biofuel, aiming to prove that consistent results can be obtained from different sources. Don’t bet on rapid progress, though. The current enthusiasm for biofuels originated last year when oil prices went through the roof. With prices dipping to dreamlike lows and the industry grappling with more pressing matters, much of this fervour is likely to abate.

Biofuels do have a potential positive impact on climate change, but opinions are sharply divided over claims that they can meet projected growth in global energy needs. The more strident environmentalists deride such tests as publicity stunts and a dangerous distraction—a way to defer action to sometime in the future and get on with pollution as usual. The only rational way to cut aviation related emissions, they aver, is to cut air travel itself.