Green Marketing: Biofuel News Update

Cooking oil flight ready for take-off 

Qantas will run two biofuel flights next month powered by a mixture of recycled cooking oil from commercial kitchens and jet fuel that emits 60 per cent less carbon dioxide. The A330 flight will go from Sydney to Adelaide and return on Friday, April 13. The fuel will be supplied by Dutch company SkyNRG. The recycled cooking oil comes from restaurants in the US and is further refined and fully certified for use in commercial aviation and endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund.

Virgin Australia is moving ahead with plans to source and refine aviation fuel from WA mallee trees. European plane maker Airbus is joining this effort, which also involves US giant General Electric and Australia’s Future Farm Industries CRC. The project aims to have an alternative fuel production pilot plant operating in Australia within the next year.

Qantas’ head of environment, John Valastro, said the goal of next month’s biofuel flights was to raise awareness about the potential for sustainable fuel in Australia. “We know that sustainable aviation fuel can be used in commercial aviation just like conventional jet fuel,” Mr Valastro said. “But until it is produced at a commercial scale, at a competitive price, the industry will not be able to realise its true benefits. “No single player can make this happen. It needs support from government, private sector investment, access to infrastructure and market demand.”

Biofuels for aviation are significantly different to those for other industries because of a jet engine’s need for high-energy yield. Biofuels will eventually enable the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint to zero because the biofuel feed stocks — which could include algae and the crop camelina — will absorb as much CO-2 when growing as they emit when burnt in a jet engine.  Typically, aviation biofuels, unlike many other biofuels, are from feed stocks such as algae or from plants such as jatropha that have no impact on food crops.

Editor's Comment

What remains to be seen in the coming months and years is just how airlines will start to work these "cleaner" fuels into their branding and image. At the moment, there is very little in the way of "green credentials" or claims to differentiate between one airline and the next. This is largely explained by the fact that they all adhere to standard procedures and routes which result in very similar fuel burn. Some airlines have equipped themselves with a modern fleet that purports to be more efficient, but even a new model will conform to the manufacturer's claims rather than provide any real leverage or influence over passengers. Maybe one day we will actually choose to fly with "cleaner" airlines if such a list can be established, but just how we factor in the totality of their operations from catering to the flight itself to the sale of ancilliary services is baffling to say the least.