Qantas publicity flight using small % of biofuel from carinata – with hopes of using ever more of it

Date added: 1 February, 2018

A Qantas 787 Dreamliner plane flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne recently, using a tiny bit of biofuel. The fuel used was oil from the brassica carinata, an industrial type of mustard seed that functions as a fallow crop – grown by farmers in between regular crop cycles. The fuel was supplied by US company SG Preston. The plane used (probably in one engine?) 10% biofuel for the flight. The airline claims this meant a 7% reduction in CO2 emissions, but that is probably only if the biofuel is regarded (wrongly) as emitting almost no carbon. It is claimed that “Compared pound for pound with jet fuel, carinata biofuel reduces emissions by 80% over the fuel’s life cycle.” The big problem with the biodiesel industry in Australia is mainly the continuity of supply, as there is not enough land to grow it. One hectare of the crop can be used to produce 400 litres of aviation fuel. That means this flight, using about 24,000kg of carinata biofuel needed an area larger than the Vatican City to grow it. For 10% of one engine on one flight? Usually airlines promoting biofuel can only get hold of used cooking oil, which is about the only fuel that can claim to be really “sustainable” though it is only available in tiny amounts (and has other possible uses other than jetfuel). Qantas and other airlines are desperate to be able to locate any form of biofuel that might give the impression of cutting their carbon emissions.

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Qantas uses mustard seeds in first ever biofuel flight between Australia and US

Blended fuel powers 15-hour Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 flight between LA and Melbourne, reducing carbon emissions by 7%

By Naaman Zhou (Guardian) @naamanzhou

A Qantas plane powered partly by mustard seeds has become the world’s first biofuel flight between Australia and the United States, after landing in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The 15-hour flight used a blended fuel that was 10% derived from the brassica carinata, an industrial type of mustard seed that functions as a fallow crop – meaning it can be grown by farmers in between regular crop cycles.

The world-first used a Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 on a scheduled passenger service, QF96, and reduced carbon emissions by 7% compared with the airline’s usual flight over the same LA to Melbourne route. Compared pound for pound with jet fuel, carinata biofuel reduces emissions by 80% over the fuel’s life cycle.

Daniel Tan, an agriculture expert from the University of Sydney, said mustard seed could double as a valuable crop and a source of sustainable fuel for farmers.

“Almost within a day after harvesting, they can press the oil out in their own shed and use it straight into their tractors,” he said.

“Basically it’s good for growing, and also farmers can also use it. If they grow wheat every year it’s not good for the soil. They can grow mustard seed in between the wheat crops, every second or third year, press the oil and use it locally or export it for use in aviation fuel.

“A lot of the biodiesel now being processed is actually from waste oil from places like fish and chip shops. A lot of these oils can be processed, but the problem is that they can’t get consistent supply. The big problem with the biodisel industry in Australia is mainly the continuity of supply.”

One hectare of the crop can be used to produce 400 litres of aviation fuel or 1,400 litres of renewable diesel.

In 2012, Qantas and Jetstar trialled Australia’s first domestic biofuel flights on a blend made of 50% used cooking oil, flying from Sydney to Adelaide and Melbourne to Hobart.

Other airlines around the world have also moved towards incorporating biofuels into their commercial flights. In 2011, Alaska Airlines operated 75 selected flights on a similar cooking oil blend, while Dutch airline KLM operated weekly biofuel flights between New York and Amsterdam for six months in 2013.

The airline is aiming to set up an Australian biorefinery in the near future in partnership with Canadian company Agrisoma Biosciences, which extracted the carinata-derived fuel for Tuesday’s flight, a spokeswoman said.

Under current fuel specifications, biofuel blends are capped at 50%, but a Qantas spokeswoman said new specifications could permit 100% biofuel flights in the future.

A 2017 estimate said air travel accounted for 2.5% of all carbon dioxide emissions, with the total emissions expected to quadruple by 2050.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/30/qantas-uses-mustard-seeds-in-first-ever-biofuel-flight-between-australia-and-us?

Qantas 787 completes transpacific biofuel flight

Jan 30, 2018

By Graham Warwick (Daily Mail)

A non-food type of mustard seed, the carinata was developed by Canadian agricultural-technology company Agrisoma Biosciences. Under a partnership announced in 2017, the company is working with Australian farmers to grow the country’s first seed crop for commercial aviation biofuel by 2020.

The carinata was processed into jet fuel by AltAir Fuels in Paramount, California, using Honeywell UOP’s process for producing HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) biofuel, which is approved for use in aircraft up to a 50% blend with conventional jet fuel.

AltAir is already using UOP’s process to produce biofuel for United Airlines under a three-year, 15 million gallon offtake agreement that saw the fuel being used in regular scheduled flights from Los Angeles LAX beginning in March 2016. The biofuel for United is made from tallow.

Carinata requires no specialized production or processing techniques, Qantas said. It is water efficient and sown in either fallow areas where food crops fail or in between regular crop cycles. As a rotational crop, it can improve soil quality, reduce erosion and provide farmers with additional income.

Field trials by the University of Queensland in Gatton, Queensland, and in Bordertown, South Australia, have demonstrated carinata should do well in the Australian climate, the airline said. In the US, Agrisoma is working the University of Florida to commercialize carinata to produce jet fuel.

http://atwonline.com/eco-aviation/qantas-787-completes-transpacific-biofuel-flight?

Qantas uses 150 acres of mustard seeds, an area of land bigger than the Vatican City, to power just ONE 15 hour biofuel flight between LA and Melbourne

Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner was filled with 24,000kg (53,000lbs) of biofuel
One acre of mustard seeds yields 160 litres of biofuel (one hectare yields 400l)
Its flight , which used 24,000l of fuel, required 150 acres of mustard seeds

The crop of mustard seeds required covered an area larger than the Vatican City [Area of Vatican city is 44 hectares …. AW comment]

By Phoebe Weston (Mail-online)

30 January 2018

The world’s first US-Australia biofuel flight successfully completed its first journey today powered by fuel made from mustard seeds.

The Qantas QF96 plane completed a 15-hour trans-Pacific flight using 24,000 litres of biofuel blend.

Qantas estimates the plane saved around 18,000kg in carbon emissions during the flight.

But while it lowered emissions in the air, the biofuel used to power the single journey took up 150 acres of land to create – an area bigger than the Vatican City.

The Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner was filled with 24,000kg (53,000lbs) of biofuel extracted from mustard seeds that covered an area larger than the Vatican City [ie. 60 hectares – 24,000 /400. Vatican is 44 hectares. The area of St James’ Park in London is 23 hectares, so this one flight would use approaching x3 the size of that park…. AW comment]

The QF96 flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne used fuel developed by Canadian agricultural-technology company Agrisoma Biosciences.

It used blended fuel that was 10 per cent derived from the brassica carinata – a type of mustard seed that can be grown by farmers in between regular crop cycles.

Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 reduced carbon emissions by 7% compared with the airline’s usual flight over the same LA to Melbourne route. [Depends very much how they calculate this – probably that the biofuel, erroneously, emits NO carbon dioxide …. AW comment]

By 2020 Qantas aims to have biofuel-based flights running regularly.

But not everyone is convinced that biofuels will be good for the environment.

Last year a new analysis – commissioned by the NGOs BirdLife and Transport and Environment – backed those calling for an end to the use of food-based biofuels.

It argued that demand for biofuels made from food crops has led to an increase in global food prices and is damaging the environement.

The carinata seed used in the latest flight makes high-quality oil with one hectare of seeds (2.47 acres) producing 400 litres of biofuel, writes Traveller.

Within just one day after harvesting the oil can be pressed and used as fuel.

The 15-hour flight used blended fuel, 10% of which came from brassica carinata, a type of mustard seed that functions as a fallow crop.

‘It’s a tough crop. It grows where other crops won’t grow. It doesn’t need much water and it’s well understood by farmers,’ said Agrisoma CEO Steve Fabijanski.

‘They can grow it and do well with it.’

Biofuel goes through the same engineering and safety tests as normal aviation fuel.

‘The aircraft is more fuel efficient and generates fewer greenhouse emissions than similarly sized-aircraft and today’s flight will see a further reduction on this route’, said Qantas International CEO Alison Webster.

‘Our partnership with Agrisoma marks a big step in the development of a renewable jetfuel industry in Australia – it is a project we are really proud to be part of as we look at ways to reduce carbon emissions across our operations.’

Using mustard seeds could offer an 80% reduction in carbon emissions and by 2020 Qantas aims to have biofuel-based flights running regularly. Pictured is the inside of a Qantas aircraft

In 2012, Qantas and Jetstar trialled domestic biofuel flights made from cooking oil.

Other airlines have also incorporated biofuels into commercial flights.

In 2011, Alaska Airlines operated 75 flights on a cooking oil blend and Dutch airline KLM made biofuel flights in 2013.

‘Biojet fuel made from Carinata delivers both oil for biofuel and protein for animal nutrition while also enhancing the soil its grown in’, said Agrisoma CEO, Steve Fabijanski.

‘We are excited about the potential of the crop in Australia and look forward to working with local farmers and Qantas to develop a clean energy source for the local aviation industry.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5329793/Qantas-uses-150-acres-mustard-seeds-biofuel-flight.html

HOW HAS BIOFUEL BEEN USED IN PLANES?

In 2008 Virgin Atlantic became the first airline to power a commercial flight using biofuel.

The flight, between London’s Heathrow and Amsterdam, used a fuel made from a mixture of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts which provided 20 per cent of the engine’s power.

‘This pioneering flight will enable those of us who are serious about reducing our carbon emissions to go on developing the fuels of the future,’ said CEO Richard Branson at the time.

many airlines are now looking into incorporate biofuels on commercial flights.

In 2011, Alaska Airlines operated 75 flights on a cooking oil blend.

In 2014, a Finnish airline used a mix of recycled cooking oil and jet fuel to power a long-distance flight.

Finnair said it will be able to reduce its net carbon dioxide emission by 50 to 80 per cent by switching to a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly fuel source.

But biofuel is more than twice the price of conventionally produced jet fuel and it is too costly for any airline to operate with it exclusively.

In 2017 a Chinese airline boss flew 186 passengers and 15 crew members from Beijing to Chicago with the help of recycled cooking oil.

Sun Jianfeng, the President of China’s largest private air carrier Hainan Airlines, was the captain of the 11-hour flight which flew across the Pacific on November 21.

Last year, Singapore Airlines also launched their first-ever flight powered by cooking oil.

The aircraft was powered by a combination of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids – a sustainable biofuel produced from used cooking oils – and conventional jet fuel.

By 2020 Qantas aims to have biofuel-based flights running regularly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5329793/Qantas-uses-150-acres-mustard-seeds-biofuel-flight.html

IS USING BIOFUEL BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

Environmental groups have often rejected proposals to make biofuels out of food sources such as corn or on land that could be used for food.

While biofuel might sound good on paper, researchers have found that instead of using fossil fuels to inject eons-old carbon into the air, it recycles carbon from the atmosphere.

In practice the research points to a much more negative impact on the environment.

Last year a new analysis – commissioned by the NGOs BirdLife and Transport and Environment – backed those calling for an end to the use of food-based biofuels.

It argued that demand for biofuels made from food crops has led to an increase in global food prices and is damaging the environment.

Increases on global food prices have a high toll particularly on the urban poor in developing nations, researchers found.

Here the price of food staples can represent a third or more of total household spending. Even small increases then have a significant impact on people’s welfare.

Another report from last year found biofuels made from food crops leads to more emissions than those produced by fossil fuels.

The report by the Royal Academy of Engineering combines more than 250 studies on the impact of biofuels and warns that clean biofuels such as algae are still far off.

The most frequently used types of biodisesel at the moment are palm oil, soybrean, rapeseed and sunflowers, all of which are more polluting than diesel.