Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivery flight USA to Tokyo with 10% used cooking oil and chicken fat

All Nippon Airways, in Japan, have used 10% biofuel (it does not say whether in one or more engines) mainly from SkyNRG used cooking oil,  in its Boeing  787 Dreamliner. The plane flew from Washington to Tokyo. ANA says there were significant  carbon savings – though two thirds of the carbon savings claimed come from the Dreamliner itself, rather than the fuel. There are known supply problems with used cooking oil, and there is not enough of it to be more than a token gesture for the aviation industry, on publicity flights. Boeing say the Dreamliner can carry 201 – 250 passengers on routes of up to 14,200 to 15,200 km; and 250 to 290 passengers on routes of up to14,800 to 15,750 km.  Boeing claim it produces 20% less CO2 than a similarly-sized current commercial aircraft.



(Boeing says the biofuel is mainly used cooking oil – with a bit of chicken fat)

 

Boeing 787 delivery flight to ANA marks first use of biofuels on the new Dreamliner and also first across the Pacific

17 April 2012  (GreenAir online)

Biofuel from used cooking oil has been used to power in part the delivery flight of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner joining the All Nippon Airways (ANA) fleet from Boeing’s Delivery Center in Everett, Washington (south of Vancouver), to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

Not only is it the first use of biofuels on Boeing’s new mid-size, twin-engined aircraft capable of flying long-range routes but it is the first time a biofuel blend has been used on a transpacific flight. Boeing said the flight emitted an estimated 30% less emissions of CO2 when compared to similarly-sized current commercial aircraft as a result of a 10% blend of biofuel and an approximate 20% saving from the technology and efficiency advancements offered by the Dreamliner.

“Our historic flight using sustainable biofuels across the Pacific Ocean highlights how innovative technology can be used to support our industry’s goal of carbon-neutral growth beyond 2020,” said Osamu Shinobe, Senior Executive Vice President of ANA, the launch customer for the 787.

The biofuel was supplied by Dutch company SkyNRG.

According to Boeing, the 20% improvement in the fuel efficiency of the 787 is down to four key technologies: new GE and Rolls-Royce engines, increased use of lightweight composite materials that make up half of the primary structure, more efficient systems applications and modern aerodynamics.

Boeing says the Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes and will allow airlines to open new, non-stop routes. The manufacturer argues that it provides an environmental advantage as it connects passengers more directly with their destinations rather than having to transfer through hub airports and eliminates the need for additional takeoffs and landings.

The airliner will travel at a similar speed as today’s fastest wide bodies and offer airlines more cargo revenue capacity. The 787-8 version will carry 210 to 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 km), while the 787-9 will carry 250 to 290 passengers on routes of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,750 km).

Boeing also promises an improved interior environment, including higher humidity levels.

“The 787 is the most environmentally progressive jetliner flying today, combining fuel efficiency and comfort with reduced carbon emissions,” said Billy Glover, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy.

Links:

Boeing – Environment

ANA – CSR and Environment

 

The ANA press release at  http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/aboutana/press/2012/index_120417.html  says

 

http://www.greenaironline.com/news.php?viewStory=1449

 


Chicken fat as aviation fuel:

 

NASA tested some chicken fat (and beef tallow) fuel in April 2011 

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/aafex_biofuels.html

 

and

Chicken Fat Biofuel Could Power Navy’s Green Strike Force

December 2011

The $12 million contract, announced yesterday, covers 450,000 gallons of biofuel, some of which will be rendered into synthetic fuel from nonfood grade animal products courtesy of Tyson Foods, Inc. through a partnership called Dynamic Fuels LLC. Dynamic Fuels can use a wide variety of nonfood feedstocks including rendered chicken fat and other inedible animal fats. Inedible beef tallow and used cooking oil currently dominate the mix.

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/14DHD)

http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/06/chicken-fat-biofuel-could-power-navy-green-strike-force/

 

 

and

 

chicken fat to jet fuel

Written by Jeffrey Ball – WSJ.com.

Wall Street Journal   December 2010

 

Agricultural giant Tyson Foods Inc. and fuel developer Syntroleum Corp say they’ve begun in recent weeks to make diesel and jet fuel from chicken fat, beef tallow and a range of greases and oils at a plant they’ve built in Geismar, La., south of Baton Rouge. The raw materials are leftovers from Tyson’s meat-processing plants and other food-processing factories and restaurants.

The Louisiana refinery has the capacity to produce 75 million gallons of fat-based fuel annually—making it tiny by oil-industry standards but among the bigger alternative-fuel plants in the U.S.  [Aviation annually uses about 70 billion gallons on fuel.  link   So this fat would produce 0.1% of global aviation fuel].

Buyers include oil companies mandated by federal law to mix renewable fuel into their conventional diesel, the companies say, though they wouldn’t identify the purchasers, citing confidentiality agreements. The U.S. Air Force confirmed that it has contracted to buy about 40,000 gallons for testing the fuel for potential use in planes.

More at 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703665904575600693755326662.html

 


 

 

More on chicken fat as biofuel:

http://www.greenenergylive.com/gelv-waste_handling.html

… extract …

The nation’s biggest meat corporations have taken notice. Tyson Foods announced in November it has established a renewable energy division that will be up and running during 2007. Competitors Perdue Farms Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc. are making similar moves. As meatpackers enter the field, they bring massive amounts of fuel stock that could make biodiesel cheaper and more plentiful.

The shift to animal fat as a fuel stock could be key to making the budding biodiesel industry a reliable fuel source for U.S. trucking fleets, said Vernon Eidman, a professor of economics at the University of Minnesota who has extensively studied the biofuels industry. Eidman estimates that within five years, the U.S. will produce 1 billion gallons of biodiesel, and half of it will be made from animal fat. By that time soybean-based biodiesel will account for about 20 percent of the total, he said.

For fuel refiners, the allure of animal fat is clear. Soybean oil costs 33 cents a pound while chicken fat costs 19 cents. Soybean oil is in the blend because it adds necessary lubrication for engine parts.

For companies like Tyson, the attraction is simple. Being the nation’s biggest meat company, Tyson is also the biggest producer of leftover fat from chicken, cattle and hogs. Tyson is keeping the specifics of its renewable fuels division under tight wraps. But Tyson Vice President Jeff Webster told a recent investment conference the potential is clear. Tyson produces about 2.3 billion pounds of chicken fat annually from its poultry plants. That’s about 300 million gallons that could be converted to fuel.

Biofuel in Action Around the World

The United States produces almost 5,000,000,000 kilograms of fat from chickens, cows and pigs each year, so it is not surprising that enterprising scientists would look for ways to use this ‘waste’ product.

http://www.greenenergylive.com/gelv-waste_handling.html