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To go green in jet fuel, Boeing looks at algae
By Stanley Florek | August 30, 2007
Once reluctant to believe that alternative energy made any sense in jet airplanes, Boeing now ponders how to take the biofuels revolution off the ground.
The world’s largest airplane maker is working with fuel developers from around the world to find the holy grail of alternative fuels: one that will shrink jet flight’s substantial environmental footprint without requiring an overhaul of the world’s existing airplane fleet.
“Two years ago, we were quite skeptical of this whole area, because we thought there were too many challenges,” said Bill Glover, environmental-strategy director for Boeing’s commercial plane division. “Then we started to see a few things we hadn’t seen before, people entering the field looking at alternatives, all kinds of feedstock.”
Sometime next year, the company, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic and engine maker GE Aviation, plans to fly a biofuel-propelled 747.
Topics: Sustainability, Technology |