WASHINGTON — Plane maker Airbus and diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. on Thursday said they are developing a biofuel that by 2030 could satisfy nearly a third of the worldwide demand from commercial aircraft without affecting food supplies.
Along with JetBlue Airways Corp. and International Aero Engines, they plan to produce fuel from vegetation and algae-based oils that do not compete with existing food production or land and water resources. Currently, commercial airlines run their planes on kerosene, though some alternative fuels are being tested.
The companies did not say how much they would invest in the project, nor did they give any targets for biofuel production prior to 2030. International Aero Engines is a multinational consortium whose shareholders include United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt &Whitney and Rolls-Royce.
“In order to replace a significant portion of that jet fuel with bio-jet, we need to find something that has much greater yield than the current biomass sources available,” Sebastien Remy, head of alternative fuels research programs for Airbus.
A spokesman for Airbus said it’s expected the new biofuel will be a “drop-in” replacement for today’s kerosene jet fuel and that engine modifications should not be required. Airbus and Chicago-based rival Boeing Co. dominate the global market for commercial airplanes carrying 100 or more people.
On Wednesday, DuPont executives said a new joint venture with a Danish company will enable production of cellulosic ethanol that costs less to manufacture than corn-based ethanol and won’t drive up food prices. The companies plan to invest $140 million in the U.S.-based venture and hope to have a commercial-scale demonstration facility, making fuel from the leaves and stalks of corn and from the remnants of sugarcane stalks, operating by 2012.
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