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VK2AAB > FUEL 01.11.08 03:48l 62 Lines 3446 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 62819_VK2AAB
Read: GUEST
Subj: Boeing Dreamtime
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Sent: 081101/0100Z @:VK2AAB.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC #:62819 [SYDNEY] FBB7.00i
From: VK2AAB@VK2AAB.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC
To : FUEL@WW
Hello All,
Courtesy the Guardian this item about Boeings hopes for survival by
means of biofuels for aircraft. I am surprised that they think people will
accept that the rich will fly on the food of the poor.
It appears that they have no idea of the scale of what they are suggesting.
Even if they still had 70% kerosene available the 30% biofuel would use up an
impossible amount of land to keep Boeing and the airlines in business.
The British Airways CEO seems at least have his head screwed on.
73 Barry VK2AAB
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Biofuel flying will take off in three years, says Boeing
Biofuel-powered aircraft could be carrying millions of passengers around the
world within three years, according to Boeing.
Darrin Morgan, an environmental expert at the US jet manufacturer, said the
group was expecting official approval of biofuel use in the near future.
"The certification will happen much sooner than anybody thought," he said. "We
are thinking that within three to five years we are going to see approval for
commercial use of biofuels - and possibly sooner."
Morgan added that aircraft will not require modification to operate on a blend
of biofuel and kerosene. However, harvesting enough plant material to meet the
industry's needs is the biggest barrier to mass use of biofuels, according to
Boeing. Fuelling the world's 13,000 commercial planes with soya bean-based
fuel, for example, would require setting aside the equivalent of the entire
land mass of Europe for soya bean production.
"No technology change is needed from an engine or airframe point of view,"
Morgan said. "It's about availability of the biomass."
Boeing expects planes to operate on a 30% blend of biofuel. It also believes
they could operate on a 100% blend, but says there would not be enough biofuel
to supply an industry that consumes 85bn gallons of kerosene a year.
Airlines are staging biofuel trials, as well as Boeing and its close rival
Airbus, with the support of engine manufacturers including Rolls-Royce.
A recent trial by Virgin Atlantic and Boeing was dismissed as a "PR stunt" by
Willie Walsh, the British Airways chief executive. That drew a sharp response
from Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson, who warned that the airline
industry would go "backwards" if Walsh's attitude prevailed. BA has
subsequently teamed up with Rolls-Royce to conduct an in-depth study of
alternative fuels. Air France-KLM, the world's largest airline by revenue, has
also given its backing to biofuels.
Friends of the Earth said the aviation industry should limit flights first
before turning to biofuels and warned that doubts over the ecological benefits
of alternative fuels had not been answered.
"There are real doubts over whether biofuels are sustainable and make a real
contribution to cutting climate-change emissions," said Tony Bosworth, a
transport campaigner at FoE. "Second-generation biofuels are also, as yet,
unproven."
According to their backers, biofuels are good for the environment because their
ingredients absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while they are grown,
which balances out the carbon dioxide that is released when the fuel is burned.
Detractors argue that mass production of biofuel pushes up food prices by using
land that would otherwise be dedicated to producing food crops and also causes
increased deforestation.
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