In addition to abundance and global standardization, the main reason that
kerosene is the only aviation fuel which the major airlines use is that it
performs well in very harsh conditions. Think about it: during long,
high-altitude flights, the temperature in and around the wing of an aircraft can
drop nearly to 100 degrees below zero! However, even in such circumstances, the
fuel must ignite and combust in much the same way and at the same high
temperature as when the plane is on the ground.
That is no easy feat and certainly is out of the question for petroleum
diesel fuel.
Needless to say then, as the aviation industry has received greater and greater
demands to lower its carbon footprint and escape the monopolistic tyranny of
OPEC as its fuel supplier, the pace at which it experiments with biofuels has
grown. It now appears that jatropha oil may be the answer.
As applied to biofuels, the triple bottom line of sustainability demands that the source materials not
just be organic but that their use not damage the environment or the prosperity
of agricultural workers. Corn-based and sugar-based ethanol often fail that test
because they are nearly impossible to grow under those restrictions. Moreover,
corn-based and sugar-based ethanol assist with weaning us off fossil fuels but
really don’t reduce carbon loading over gasoline on a gallon-by-gallon basis.
Jatropha is quite different. Here are the key distinctions:
1) In most places, it is considered a weed, meaning that it can be grown alongside existing crops rather than in place of them.
2) Its seed is inedible. Hence, growers never face that quandary of growing it
as a feed stock rather than for fuel.
3) It grows very effectively on land which is unsuitable for feed crops, opening
up billions of acres of land to agriculture which currently do not fit the
definition of arable.
4) In many places, jatropha can be harvested at any time, leaving peak times
free for farmers to continue bringing in their feed crops.
5) The carbon loading of jatropha is roughly half that of corn or sugar, making
it a true improvement over gasoline.
6) The oxygen density of processed jatropha oil can be minimized, making the
fuel suitable for high-altitude jet engines, which neither ethanol nor
petroleum-based gasoline ever will achieve.
7) Hence, it can be used in jet aircraft with no mechanical modifications.
I trust, then, that you grasp why I am so enthusiastic about jatropha oil,
especially its potential role in commercial aviation as a replacement for
kerosene. In the third installment of this series, I will tell you about Air New
Zealand’s impressive and historic first flight with sustainable jatropha which
took place last month.
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler
In addition to abundance and global standardization, the main reason that kerosene is the only aviation fuel which the major airlines use is that it performs well in very harsh conditions. Think about it: during long, high-altitude flights, the temperature in and around the wing of an aircraft can drop nearly to 100 degrees below zero! However, even in such circumstances, the fuel must ignite and combust in much the same way and at the same high temperature as when the plane is on the ground.
That is no easy feat and certainly is out of the question for petroleum diesel fuel.
Needless to say then, as the aviation industry has received greater and greater demands to lower its carbon footprint and escape the monopolistic tyranny of OPEC as its fuel supplier, the pace at which it experiments with biofuels has grown. It now appears that jatropha oil may be the answer.
As applied to biofuels, the triple bottom line of sustainability demands that the source materials not just be organic but that their use not damage the environment or the prosperity of agricultural workers. Corn-based and sugar-based ethanol often fail that test because they are nearly impossible to grow under those restrictions. Moreover, corn-based and sugar-based ethanol assist with weaning us off fossil fuels but really don’t reduce carbon loading over gasoline on a gallon-by-gallon basis.
Jatropha is quite different. Here are the key distinctions:
1) In most places, it is considered a weed, meaning that it can be grown alongside existing crops rather than in place of them.
2) Its seed is inedible. Hence, growers never face that quandary of growing it as a feed stock rather than for fuel.
3) It grows very effectively on land which is unsuitable for feed crops, opening up billions of acres of land to agriculture which currently do not fit the definition of arable.
4) In many places, jatropha can be harvested at any time, leaving peak times free for farmers to continue bringing in their feed crops.
5) The carbon loading of jatropha is roughly half that of corn or sugar, making it a true improvement over gasoline.
6) The oxygen density of processed jatropha oil can be minimized, making the fuel suitable for high-altitude jet engines, which neither ethanol nor petroleum-based gasoline ever will achieve.
7) Hence, it can be used in jet aircraft with no mechanical modifications.
I trust, then, that you grasp why I am so enthusiastic about jatropha oil, especially its potential role in commercial aviation as a replacement for kerosene. In the third installment of this series, I will tell you about Air New Zealand’s impressive and historic first flight with sustainable jatropha which took place last month.
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler