Boeing Aims to Turn Cooking Oil Waste into Aviation Biofuel in China

August 20th, 2012 by Adam Johnston

Boeing, one of the world’s largest aviation companies, is teaming up with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in a bid to increase aviation biofuels in the emerging market country.

According to a recent article from Waste Management World, both companies will fund the project. The co-venture will be located in the COMAC Beijing Aeronautical Science & Technology Research Institute (BASTRI). The project will look at treating cooking oil and making it into a valuable aviation biofuel.

The centre will also look at advancing aviation biofuels and efficiency through air traffic management. It is all in a bid to expand the ever-growing need for China’s aviation market, while making it more environmentally sustainable.

Consider some interesting facts from the Waste Management World article regarding China’s ferocious appetite for flying:

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has forecast that passenger traffic in China will surpass 300 million this year and will reach 1.5 billion passengers by 2030.

Boeing said that it estimated that Chinese airlines will need to buy 5,000 new airplanes by 2030 to meet the extraordinary demand.

While there has often been criticism about flying’s big footprint, the importance of creating aviation biofuels will be the ultimate test of environmental sustainability in a globalized economy.

Source: Waste Management World
Image Credit: China Airlines Boeing 747 image via Shutterstock

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Tags: aviation biofuels, boeing, Boeing aviation biofuels, China Biofuels, quickies

About the Author

Adam Johnston Is currently studying at the School of the Environment Professional Development program in Renewable Energy from the University of Toronto. Adam graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a three-year B.A. combined major in Economics and Rhetoric, Writing & Communications. Adam also writes for Solar Love and also owns his own part time tax preparation business. His eventual goal is to be a cleantech policy analyst, and is currently sharpening his skills as a renewable energy writer. You can follow him on Twitter @adamjohnstonwpg or at www.adammjohnston.wordpress.com.

Pingback: Taking Flight: How Aviation Biofuels Is Giving Air Travel a Green Kick In The Butt | Adam M. Johnston, B.A.
http://www.facebook.com/edward.kerr.33 Edward Kerr

Using waste cooking oil to power diesels has been done for years and making jet fuel, I suppose, is almost certainly possible. However, just as with power diesels here in America the numbers don’t crunch when looking at the overall use. It’s just a proof of concept thing.

Why there is so much resistance to the idea of producing jet fuel from algal oil is a mystery to me. We have the capacity to grow enough algae to produce all of the jet fuel that we need but also all of the “oil” that we need. The added benefit is that it would be carbon neutral.

The time for abandoning fossil oil is NOW but that time is running out rapidly. The world needs to wake up on the energy issue, not just a few concerned companies and individuals.