‘Green diesel’ can be used in aircraft, Boeing research shows

CHICAGO — New research by Boeing Co. shows that so-called green diesel, a fuel blend made from oils and fats that has already been used in trucks and other ground transportation, can be used to power aircraft too.

Unlike some other alternative fuels, green diesel is being produced on a relatively large scale and, with current government subsidies, is cost-competitive with traditional jet fuel, called Jet-A, Chicago-based Boeing said recently.

Green diesel, made from such materials as recycled animal fat, used cooking oil and inedible corn oil, has half the carbon emissions of fossil fuels. And it would enable airlines, cargo carriers and the military, for example, to use the same alternative fuel blend in their trucks and their planes.

Boeing executives are hoping that the fuel can get regulatory approval this year for aircraft use. If approved, the fuel could be blended directly with traditional jet fuel and would not require modifications to aircraft engines. It can be blended with traditional jet fuel in a ratio of up to 50%, said Julie Felgar, managing director of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Environmental Strategy and Integration.

Commercial aviation and the U.S. military consume 20 billion gallons of jet fuel a year. The cost of jet fuel, the biggest operating cost for airlines, has tripled since 2000, making it a major issue for carriers.

The aviation industry has proved in tests that it can f ly airplanes safely and efficiently on fuels made from cornhusks or algae or many sources other than crude oil. But adoption of so-called biofuels to f ly jets ultimately comes down to economics.

In the case of green diesel, also called renewable diesel, its wholesale cost is competitive with petroleum jet fuel at about $3 a gallon, including U.S. government incentives. And green diesel plants around the world, including two in Louisiana, have the capacity to produce 800 million gallons — not nearly enough to meet the demand of the aviation industry but ahead of other alternative fuels.