Japan Airlines completes first camelina biodiesel flight
Japan Airlines completed a 90-minute flight powered by fuel with a 50% biodiesel blend on 30 January.
The flight is the first to use camelina oil, which made up 84% of the biofuel blend. The remainder was less than 16% jatropha oil and the rest algae oil.
The camelina blend was used in the No. 3 engine made by Pratt & Whitney. The Boeing 747-300 aircraft took off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The Japan Airlines flight carried no passengers, but the cockpit crew said there were no performance changes compared to petroleum-based jet fuel.
The company plans to analyse data recorded on the aircraft to determine if equivalent engine performance was seen from the biofuel blend compared to typical jet fuel.
Japan Airlines is targeting a 20% cut in the carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, compared to 1990 levels. The company says it has already achieved a nearly 16% reduction since then.
Montana, US-based Sustainable Oils supplied 10,000 gallons of camelina for the flight, while Sapphire Energy provided the algae oil.
‘We're working on contracts with growers, so we're hopeful that the results of this aviation test will lead to a continued interest on the part of airlines in buying our oil,’ Sustainable Oils GM Scott Johnson says.
Camelina can grow on marginal land and requires minimal water or fertiliser. It is inedible, and the annual crop has advantages when used as a rotation crop for wheat farmers on land that would otherwise remain fallow.
An acre of camelina produces 1,000-2,000 pounds of seeds and 65-100 gallons of oil. The prolific crop requires just 3-5 pounds of those seeds to be replanted.
The camelina seeds remaining after the crushing process can then be used as animal feedstock, organic matter for biomass facilities, or mulch.
The flight is the first to use camelina oil, which made up 84% of the biofuel blend. The remainder was less than 16% jatropha oil and the rest algae oil.
The camelina blend was used in the No. 3 engine made by Pratt & Whitney. The Boeing 747-300 aircraft took off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The Japan Airlines flight carried no passengers, but the cockpit crew said there were no performance changes compared to petroleum-based jet fuel.
The company plans to analyse data recorded on the aircraft to determine if equivalent engine performance was seen from the biofuel blend compared to typical jet fuel.
Japan Airlines is targeting a 20% cut in the carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, compared to 1990 levels. The company says it has already achieved a nearly 16% reduction since then.
Montana, US-based Sustainable Oils supplied 10,000 gallons of camelina for the flight, while Sapphire Energy provided the algae oil.
‘We're working on contracts with growers, so we're hopeful that the results of this aviation test will lead to a continued interest on the part of airlines in buying our oil,’ Sustainable Oils GM Scott Johnson says.
Camelina can grow on marginal land and requires minimal water or fertiliser. It is inedible, and the annual crop has advantages when used as a rotation crop for wheat farmers on land that would otherwise remain fallow.
An acre of camelina produces 1,000-2,000 pounds of seeds and 65-100 gallons of oil. The prolific crop requires just 3-5 pounds of those seeds to be replanted.
The camelina seeds remaining after the crushing process can then be used as animal feedstock, organic matter for biomass facilities, or mulch.
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