Air New Zealand recently powered one of four engines with a mixture of jet fuel and fuel made from the jatropha plant. These early tests have proved successful.



Now Japan's most recognizable airline is testing another type of fuel. 17% for the bio-fuel will be made from jatropha and algae oils, while the remaining 83% will come from a plant called camelina. Camelina is a traditional crop, sometimes known as false flax. It is usually grown in temperate climates but can also be found in arid regions of the world. It is a hearty plant that requires little care.

Honeywell subsidiary UOP, which developed the jatropha fuel for the ANZ flight last month, also produced the camelina-based fuel for JAL.

The test flight for the fuel will take place on January 30, 2009 in Tokyo. The camelina fuel will be run in one of the four engines of a Boeing 747-300. It will be mixed with traditional jet fuel at a 1:1 ration.

This is not merely a ploy to make JAL look good to environmental groups. Technicians will be running tests before, during, and after the flight to determine how the fuel performs compared to traditional jet fuel. Reducing carbon emissions is always part of the PR when airlines use bio-fuels, but the bottom line is?the bottom line. Will this fuel save airlines money? Jatropha, algae and camelina are renewable sources of fuel that are easy to grow. Moreover, using them would not affect the global food prices like corn-based ethanol does. Once the process of refining bio-fuels improves, they could become a cheaper alternative to jet fuel.