Boeing to test commercial jet biofuel in China

Boeing Co. (BA), in cooperation with Air China Ltd. and others, plans to test a commercial jet biofuel in China produced from a locally grown plant by the middle of 2011, as part of an effort to commercialize cleaner fuels worldwide and bolster China’s potential as a biofuel provider. The biofuel to be used in the scheduled test flight is one based on jatropha, a thorny wild green shrub that grows well on a wide range of terrains in hot climates such as Latin America and Africa. It is expected to be supplied by PetroChina Co., which grows jatropha in southern China, said Al Bryant, vice president of research and technology at Boeing’s China operations. The China demonstration flight, expected to be conducted by May or June next year, would be Boeing’s sixth such demonstration flight using a biofuel, Bryant said. (October 18, 2010)