Qantas hails pioneering flight using biofuel

Qantas Airways Limited said Australia’s first biofuel-poweredflight was a great success and that it will repeat the experiment on a Jetstar flight, on a return trip from Melbourne to Hobart. Although the company’s pioneering flight was powered by used cooking oil, Qantas conceded that cutting energy bills may lie with fuels other than used cooking oil. Qantas Chief Alan Joyce said that although they used a fuel mix as a “one off,” the company had won Federal Government support to find a viable Australian-produced fuel alternative. For yesterday’s Sydney-to-Adelaide flight, Qantas paid above jet fuel prices for the 15,000 liters of converted cooking oil, which it imported from the U.S. Joyce said Qantas will continue searching for alternatives because aviation fuel prices has soared to its highest level in four years. “We need to get ready for a future that is not based on traditional jet fuel or, frankly, we don’t have a future,” Joyce said. “Alternatives to conventional jet fuel are vital to the aviation industry meeting ambitious targets for carbon-neutral growth and emissions reduction,” he added. Although used oil from the food industry can be converted into safe fuel to power jet engines, a study conducted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) indicated there is not enough volume to supply the aviation industry’s needs. CSIRO also cited practical supply-chain problems in sourcing used oil. As Australia’s airline industry tries to become carbon neutral by 2020, both Qantas and Virgin Australia are working with the CSIRO, although each has pursued different technologies. (April 14, 2012)