From my daily perusal of the Chronicle:
Air New Zealand conducted a two-hour test flight Monday in which one of four Rolls-Royce engines on a jetliner was powered by a biofuel blend, another step down the long path the airline industry is taking to reduce carbon emissions.
Engine No. 1 of the Boeing 747-400 that departed Auckland International Airport was fueled by a 50-50 blend of standard Jet A1 fuel – effectively kerosene – and synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from Jatropha oil, which comes from a shrub that grows in tropical and subtropical areas and is largely used as a hedge plant.
Air New Zealand’s chief pilot, Capt. David Morgan, said the flight went without incident, additional evidence for sustainable sources of oil being used by an industry that produces up to 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“We accomplished everything we set out to do,” Morgan said in a post-flight interview. “It was a very successful test flight, and Jatropha is a reliable second-generation biofuel going forward.”
