Lufthansa ends biofuel trial

In mid-January, Lufthansa flew the last flight of its six-month trial using biofuel. During the trial period, the airline ran one jet engine of an Airbus A321 on a blend of half-synthetic kerosene and half-regular jet fuel during several flights between Frankfurt and Hamburg in Germany. After 1,187 flights, a total of1,469 tons of bio-kerosene were used, which saved an estimated 1,388 carbon dioxide emissions. Lufthansa said that the trial was a success, but there are no plans to continue because of the lack of certified raw materials. “Lufthansa will only continue the practical trial if we are able to secure the volume of sustainable, certified raw materials required in order to maintain routine operations,” said Joachim Buse, the company’s project manager. Lufthansa is the first airline in the world to use biofuel in its flights and has committed to search for alternatives to non-renewable fossil fuels. During the trial period, the airline used bio-kerosene made from jatropha, a drought-resistant poisonous plant grown in Mozambique and Indonesia, as well as linseed oil and animal fat from slaughterhouses. (January 13, 2012)