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Boeing and Air New Zealand schedule biofuel test |
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
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Aircraft manufacturer Boeing and flag carrier Air New Zealand have set a date for a test flight of the new sustainable biofuel both companies have been developing.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing and flag carrier Air New Zealand have set a date for a test flight of the new sustainable biofuel both companies have been developing.
Working alongside Rolls-Royce and UOP, Boeing and Air New Zealand will operate a 747-700 test flight of their new sustainable biofuel on December 3rd.
One of the airplane's four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines will be fuelled in part using advanced generation biofuels derived from central American plant genus jatropha.
Having deployed proprietary UOP fuel processing technology, the companies succeeded in creating biofuel from the jatropha crude oil, marking the world's first large-scale production run of a commercially viable, aviation-facing biofuel.
"The processing technology exists today, and based on results we've seen, it's highly encouraging that this fuel not only met but exceeded three key criteria for the next generation of jet fuel," commented Boeing spokesman Billy Glover.
He said they were higher-than-expected jet fuel yields; good energy density; and extremely low freeze point - all of which "[t]ell us we're on the right path to certification and commercial availability".
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