Actually, they aren’t going to exactly remove the cars from the road, but they will be taking the equivalent of 48,000 car’s carbon emissions out of the atmosphere with a new scheme announced today. They are going to be producing their own biofuel. Out of waste that would otherwise have been put into landfill.
British Airways have teamed up with US-based Solena Group to build a sustainable jet-fuel plant that can convert a variety of waste materials, normally destined for landfill, into aviation fuel. The plant will probably be located in east London and BA say that when it is fully up-and-running, it will be able to convert 500,000 tonnes of waste per year into 16 million gallons of green jet fuel through a process that offers lifecycle greenhouse gas savings of up to 95 per cent compared to traditional jet fuel.
What kind of waste? Well, almost anything organic (i.e. made of carbon) can be used – food waste from household kitchens or hotels and restaurants, industrial waste from food manufacturing plants, paper that can’t be recycled and agricultural waste.
“This volume of fuel would be more than twice the amount required to make all of British Airways' flights at nearby London City Airport carbon-neutral. Put another way, the fuel's reduction in carbon emissions would be the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road per year.”
They plan to have part of their fleet running on this new fuel from 2014. It is a great vote of confidence from an airline to actually invest in this type of scheme and it comes a short while after KLM announced its new venture in the sustainable biofuel area. A good friend of ours, Jonathan Counsell who is Head of Environment at BA spoke to Sky News a short time ago:
But wait, there’s more
The reduction in carbon lifecycle emissions for the aircraft that use this fuel is not the only benefit. As BA said in their press release:
The plant will emit oxygen, plus small quantities of nitrogen, argon, steam (water vapour), and CO2. The plant itself will be CO2 neutral.
The left over gas can be used to produce 20MW of excess electricity for export to the national grid or converted into steam to be used in a district heating system.
The only solid waste product is an inert vitrified slag material, which can be used as an alternative to aggregates used in construction.
Through reducing landfill by around 500,000 tonnes per year, local authorities will save £36 million in landfill.
Four sites in the east of London are among those under consideration for the construction of the bio-jet fuel plant. The scheme will lead to the creation of up to 1,200 jobs in the area and could reduce significantly local authority landfill tax bills.
This week the aviation industry has had its focus on developing alternative energy both on the ground and in the air. East Midlands Airport announced plans to have four giant wind turbines built by the end of this year, which will be used to generate electricity for the airport. The turbines will generate 900 kilowatt hours of electricity – without any emissions to pollute the environment – which is enough to cover about 10% of the airport's energy needs. This project is part of a wider plan to make the airport's ground operations carbon neutral.
Airports in the US, in Texas, Dallas, Las Vegas and Houston, have the same goal of carbon neutrality, but are concentrating on a different initiative to take them there. Working together with Clean Energy Fuels, the airports have all set up major new airport compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling business. At these airports, Clean Energy will build a public access CNG fueling stations which will support the growing fleets of off-airport parking shuttle fleets, on-airport courtesy shuttle vehicles as well as taxis and private CNG fleet vehicles.
A new report has been published which outlines various case studies looking at the efforts that have been made over the past years by airports aimed at cutting emissions and improving efficiency… just so they know their efforts are not being ignored!
This week has also seen a major announcement from Qatar Airways, Qatar Science & Technology Park and Qatar Petroleum, with the support of Airbus. These companies are to jointly develop production of an alternative fuel for aircraft. Following a feasibility study into bio fuel seven months ago, the initiative now establishes the Qatar Advanced Biofuel Platform to develop the fuel. Initially Qatar Airways will be a dedicated end-user, but there is a view to opening the production out to other airlines and companies. Yet whilst deals are being struck on the ground, it is not without movement in the air - this initiative comes just months after Qatar Airways completed the world's first commercial flight powered by a Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel blend. And again, efforts are not unnoticed - even Qatar's deputy premier Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has shown excitement over the “tremendous” prospects this work has shown!
And there’s one more… monthly magazine Air Transport World selected Air New Zealand as its Airline of the Year for 2010. As well as recognition for its commitment to safety and operational excellence, the airline was specifically praised for its environmental initiatives, including conducting the world's first sustainable biofuel flight. While they are not doing it for the praise of awards, it does go to show that being an environmental leader is recognised.
Other than that, the event is actually very well organised. The computer systems are good (wi-fi is available everywhere and is very fast), there are recycling bins all over the place, they have put up three massive temporary buildings to house the delegation offices and the Danish people are all very friendly and go out of their way to be of service.
I am not sure where the fruit and vegetables served in the cafes is from, but if one group presenting here in Copenhagen has their way, it may well be from the Sahara in the future...
One of the challenges to overcome in supplying the aviation industry with sustainable biofuel for our aircraft is finding land on which to grow it. The Bellona Foundation of Norway is backing a scheme called The Sahara Forest Project which is looking to use large parts of the Sahara Desert to grow crops and biofuels using solar energy and desalinated water. It's a good idea. As the above graphic shows, the land can be used for a concentrated solar power plant, a photovoltaic solar power array, greenhouses for growing crops and - importantly for us in aviation - a high-density algae biofuel production facility.
According to the Sahara Forest Project, "Deserts are often used as symbols of infertility and lost hope. Many, if not all of the world's deserts, formerly supported vegetation. Were it not for the lack of fresh water, they could still do so... the world is not short of water. The water is just in the wrong place and is too salty."
It is these types of forward thinking innovations that will allow us to continue living our lives, but in a low-carbon way and provide much needed economic development and jobs in some of the poorest parts of the world.
“You’re next holiday may be powered by weeds” wrote Dominic O’Connell in the Sunday Times this week and indeed he may be right... Last week we saw a passenger biofuel flight by KLM and the last in a series of ‘MINT’ flights; this week sees development through British Airways who have taken a big step into the world of biofuels by starting trials in conjunction with Rolls-Royce. The trails involve conducting largescale ground tests of a range of fuels made from plants and will take place as of next year. BA will buy up to 240 tonnes of four kinds of biofuels for its research. The data generated by the tests should help speed the certification of the fuels for commercial use, with regulatory approval expected towards the end of next year.
Latin American airliner, GOL, announced this week their plan to have all aircraft be equipped with sensors to enable the use of the GPS Landing System, as well as Vertical Situation Display, as of January 2010. GOL predicts the GPS Landing System will become the dominant global technology in the near future. This equipment permits continuous ascent or descent which reduces fuel consumption and the emission of environmentally harmful gases by up to 15% in these flight stages. Enhancing this is the Vertical Situation Display which allows pilots to accurately identify, from the cockpit, information on ground relief and obstacles therefore permitting more efficient landing planning, reducing landing component wear and tear and, consequently, future maintenance expenses.
Elsewhere, there has been a request to ‘Switch off!’ by Stansted airport as they launch their new energy awareness campaign. Rather than leaving appliances on standby, airport staff are encouraged to save power by switching off therefore saving power, reducing emissions and by transferring this practice to home as well, saving some money on energy bills! This initiative is a part of the airport’s Energy Management Plan to reduce CO2 emissions from airport buildings and infrastructure by 30% by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. Other initiatives at Stansted include installation of a biomass boiler which has brought a 75% saving on gas consumption in the terminal building, use of movement sensors in office areas to turn lights off when areas aren't in use and a move to introduce low energy lighting across the airfield.
At the Arab Aviation Summit in Doha last weekend, ‘Sky Blue’, the aviation industry in the Arab region has been sharing best practices and determining their priorities in order to achieve the industry-wide targets that will be set at the Copenhagen Climate Summit next month. Aviation in the Arab region has a very low emissions output, in part due to the comparatively new fleets of aircraft operating in the region, and also through the development of alternative energy methods. Qatar Airways sets a good example with their development of gas-to-liquids (GTL) aviation fuel – a sustainable fuel which burns greatly reduce carbon emissions in comparison to conventional oil-based petroleum. Qatar Airways made history in October this year by being the first airline to power a flight from London Gatwick to Doha on a fuel made of natural gas, and is expected to become the world’s leading producer of GTL kerosene when it is put into commercial production from 2012.
Also in the news this week, director-general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Giovanni Bisignani has expressed how he believes the aviation industry can act as a model for Copenhagen climate talks. Aviation, Bisignani says, is a “microcosm of the climate change debate” and can lead the way with much-needed solutions needed from this conference, demonstrated already with the ambitious targets the industry has made for 2020 and 2050. Bisignani points out to the impressive track record the industry has shown, with achievements such as 70 million tons of CO2 saved by IATA in the last 5 years through operational solutions. Sustainable biofuels could further reduce aviation’s carbon footprint by up to 80%. Progress is indeed fast moving, and even just this week, KLM became the first airline to carry out a test flight carrying passengers, that was fuelled on 50% camelina, a biofuel, and 50% traditional fuel.
Another test flight took place this week – the last of a series of 10 that had been part of the ‘Minimum CO2 in Terminal Manoeuvring Area’ (MINT) project. The project has seen a series of 10 test flights in all which were investigating how modern aircraft can support performance based operations. The results showed significant reductions in emissions with savings of around 518 kg of CO2, reduced noise impact, and improvement of the predictability in the air transport system. MINT uses systems such as GPS and Required Navigation Performance, and operations such as Continuous Descent Arrival.
I write from Amsterdam where technicians and flight crew from Dutch airline KLM are preparing one of their Boeing 747 aircraft for a landmark flight. When it takes off in four and a half hours at 1415 CET, it will be carrying not only a select group of around 40 politicians, technical experts and industry leaders, but also a fuel made from the plant camelina.
I am about to head over to the airport now and will be bringing you pictures as the flight takes-off. Follow it live on twitter (@enviroaero) and if you have any questions you’d like me to ask the crew or people on board today, tweet them to me!
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 1: the fuel
With the flight around two hours away, I thought I would fill you in a bit on the main biofuel crop being used on this flight - camelina. The plant is also known as gold-of-pleasure and German sesame, among other things. It has been grown as a crop by farmers in Europe for at least 3,000 years. Prior to electricity and gas, the oil from its seeds was harvested to produce oil lamp and it is also used as a cooking oil, although has largely been replaced by other crops.
Its seeds contain a very high oil content and it can be grown in rotation with other food crops such as wheat and cereal, in moderate climates such as the US, Europe and Central Asia. It is estimated that the US state of Montana alone could support between two and three million acres of camelina, generating 200 to 300 million gallons of oil each year.
Although it looks nothing like them, it comes from the same family as cauliflower, radish and cabbage! The fact that it can be grown in the off-season from food supply crops and on the marginal land (as well as being drought-resistant), makes camelina a good source of sustainable aviation biofuel. For this flight, the camelina oil was provided by Sustainable Oils and Great Plains from the USA. This was refined and blended together with Jet-A1 by Honeywell UOP - a company that specialises in refining biofuel.
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 2: grey skies but green fuel
As Captain Tim ten Velde prepares to fly the Boeing 747-400 with one engine running a 50% Camelina biofuel mix.
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 3: And here is the engine in question - the number one engine has the biofuels mix in it.
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 4: Clean energy is a flight! The World Wildlife Fund Congratulates KLM with this step
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 5: take off
Flight KL1919 has just taken off from AmsterdamAirport for its hour-long demonstration. It will be flying over SPL, Groningen, Waddeneilanden, Den Helder, IJmuiden, Zierikzee, Apeldoorn (Veluwe) and back to SPL. The flight will take 45-60 mins and their are some 40 passengerson board.
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 6: why have the flight?
So, we have been calling this flight a demonstration, rather than a test… why? Well, we are actually quite close to getting certification for the use of biofuels in commercial flight. The tests conducted earlier this year provided very valuable data that has been analysed over the past 10 months or so. In many ways, the testing has moved on from altitude and system flight tests.
While the industry will also be looking closely at the results of today’s flight (and any data that is generated), it is more useful in its role as an ambassador for the use of biofuels in aviation. As the world turns to better sources of energy, we want to make sure that aviation is able to fully benefit from these new types of fuel.
The danger for us is that sustainable, second-generation biofuels may be diverted to run cars and trucks rather than fly aircraft. These forms of transport have other options – such as electricity – so we feel strongly that aviation should be able to make the most of its only low-carbon energy source available in the future – biofuels.
This flight is a strong demonstration of our commitment in this area and shows governments, fuel suppliers and biofuel start-ups that we are serious and we want sustainable fuels. It’s a wake-up call for these important audiences. And there are whispers here in Amsterdam that KLM may be about to demonstrate their seriousness on biofuels concretely…
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 7: landing and results
The aircraft has landed and is now taxiing towards us here at the KLM maintenance base. Over the next few hours, I will post some of the media coverage from the flight here.
KLM biofuel demonstration – update 8
The Danish Economics Minister is speaking at the launch of a new joint venture company that will put biofuels at the heart of KLM's business. More soon.
A new joint-venture company will be formed to speed up production of sustainable biofuels. It will be called SkyEnergy and, significantly, the environment group WWF will have a major role in setting sustainability criteria for the fuel and advising in this area. Johan van de Gronden, director of WWF The Netherlands said, “the establishment of SkyEnergy is a groundbreaking initiative. KLM’s demonstration flight serves as a concrete step towards achieving a more sustainable future. We still have a long way to go in relation to biofuels for aviation, but by investing in this manner KLM is once again taking the lead.”
“This flight today and KLM’s significant announcement of investment in biofuels is a further clear demonstration of the industry’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. As the world’s governments work towards an agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in a few weeks, we can proudly say that aviation is showing leadership in the business community.”
It’s all happening in the Far East this week, where some significant alliances have been achieved with regards to the aviation sector.
China, for example, is expected to become Boeing’s research and development partner for environmentally friendly technologies designed to improve the environmental performance of aircraft. A key part of their partnership will be to develop biofuels, with a near term plan expected to involve the commercialisation of jatropha. China itself has impressive resources of jatropha and other biofuel feedstocks– by 2020 it is expecting to have developed 13 million hectares of biofuel plantations; that’s enough to yield 6 million tonnes of biodiesel annually.
Travelling a little further East and Japan has just recently become the latest member of ASPIRE – an initiative focused on improving the efficiency of aircraft operations with the ultimate aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Being a big player in the aviation industry, Japan’s move to join ASPIRE represents a big step up in collective efforts to limit the industry’s environmental impact. To mark this event, Japan Airlines completed the latest ASPIRE flight demonstration – a flight from Honolulu to Osaka which included the most efficient, advanced technologies and procedures; including just-in-time fueling, preferred routes over the ocean, optimising speed and altitude and using a tailored-arrival approach to the destination airport.
Gulf Air is also making moves to maximize efficiency as it officially begins its fleet renewal programme for Airbus with the arrival of the first 10 A320’s, which will replace the older narrow-body aircrafts. Airbus’ innovations and performance advances have made the aircraft more operationally efficient, reducing costs and fuel burn which allows for better environmental performance. And the A320’s also have a special feature… they use a chromate-free paint which requires 15% less paint when applied to the aircraft, resulting in lighter aircraft, less fuel burn and so ultimately less aircraft CO2 emissions – clever thinking!
The GTL kerosene will be produced in commercial quantities by the Pearl GTL project, currently under construction by Qatar Petroleum and Shell. The project is expected to produce around one million tonnes per annum of GTL kerosene from 2012, enough to power a typical commercial airliner for half a billion kilometres (equivalent to carrying 250 passengers around the world 4,000 times) when used in a 50 per cent blend to make GTL Jet Fuel.
