Following on from last week’s trends, there have been more interesting technological advances both in the air and on the ground. Something that caught my eye in particular was Logan International Airport’s new “green” asphalt runway, which will be nearly completed this weekend and is expected to open later this year. The runway is being paved with a type of environmentally friendly asphalt called “warm mix”, which is heated to lower temperatures than normal, therefore burning less fuel and cutting carbon emissions. For this project, that will mean cutting 4,000 tons of CO2 and 400,000 gallons of diesel.
 
This week has also been witness to a groundbreaking deal between Biojet Corporation and E85 LLC regarding a Bio-SPK forward contract for the sale by BioJet and the purchase by E85 of 4 million barrels of aviation bio jet fuel. ("Bio-SPK" is now the proper aviation industry term for bio jet fuel.) The contract is by far the largest sale of biojet and is said to enable a worldwide aviation bio jet commodity chain. Bio-SPK is a second generation biofuel generated from Jatropha and is expected that certification for commercial use by the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTMI) will be completed by the end of 2010.
 
Elsewhere, some airlines are still acting to make their planes ‘sexier’ by the addition of winglets. Besides giving planes a well-deserved make-over, these winglets are designed to reduce the drag of aircraft and alter airflow, thus reducing fuel usage and cutting carbon emissions. LAN Air Lines announced last Friday their entry into a one-year contract with the maintenance division of Delta Air Lines, Delta TechOps, for the installment of winglets on their aircraft fleet. Under the agreement, the airline’s fuel will reduce by around 450,000 tons per year and CO2 emissions will decrease by 5% for each aircraft.