Paris: painting the air Green

The Paris air show has gone green, with airlines using a blend of biofuel and conventional jet fuel.

The Gulfstream G450 jet from New Jersey to Paris was the "first-ever transatlantic biofuel flight" in history, while Boeing flew its new 747 freighter from Seattle to Paris on a blend of conventional jet fuel and 15 percent camelina-based biofuel. This was another first for the Atlantic, flying with biofuels, and an active approach to substantially reduce carbon emissions. The show also included a special exhibition area for alternative aviation fuels.
During the week, other airlines also embraced the "green air". Seven other airlines announced their intentions to work with biofuel producer, Solena Fuels, to provide fuel for their flights out of the San Francisco Bay area. Solena's fuel starts with recycled urban and agricultural wastes, and is produced in a multistep process. The facility in Northern California will produce as much as 16 million gallons of jet fuel from this waste per year by 2015, to support airline operations at Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose airports.
Solena's biofuel manufacturing process was approved in 2009 for use as jet fuel by ASTM International, the worldwide consensus standards organization. Airlines need a standard fuel content and quality in order to be considered a reliable fuel source. Standardised fuel properties will ensure the quality of this new fuel and will lead the way for its use as "HEFA" fuels (Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids) derived from biomass products such as camelina, Jatropha, or algae. Conventional jet fuel will be used in conjunction with this new fuel at up to a 50/50 ratio.