Energy from fruit as motor fuel - Boeing 747 flies using Jatropha oil
Boeing 747 of a New Zealand company took off without any problems and flew for almost two hours, using blend of oil from a fruit known as Jatropha and conventional jet fuel as a motor fuel.
- By mixing conventional jet fuel with Jatropha oil, in relation 50-50, we got bio-diesel, which we are testing on our jets at the moment. Results are satisfactory and there aren't any disturbances in motor operation - Andrew Herman, the Director of Asia Pacific Airlines, claims.
Scientists calculated that by substituting conventional jet fuel for bio-diesel, the amount of carbon emissions from long-haul flights could be cut by about 65%.
- About 1.5 tons of fuel can be saved during a 12-hour flight, which would also cut carbon emissions by about five tons, which is almost 60% of gas emission during a conventional flight - David Morgan, chief pilot in Air New Zealand Company, explains.