Boeing Wants to Power Its Aircraft with Equal Parts Petroleum Jet Fuel and Renewable Diesel

Boeing Company, one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world, announced Tuesday that it’s seeking approval from U.S. regulators to use a blend of renewable diesel as fuel for its airliners.

The specific form of renewable diesel Boeing is interested in is produced from vegetable oils and fats, and is nearly identical to traditional petroleum-based diesel fuel at the molecular level.  As a result, it’s what’s known as a “drop-in” fuel, meaning it’s friendly to existing infrastructure. It can be transported by pipeline and blended straight into existing traditional diesel supplies with little difficulty — in fact, Boeing is seeking approval for a fuel blend of up to 50 percent renewable diesel.

Air travel currently accounts for two percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — though that could increase to 15 percent by 2050 — and is one of the least fuel-efficient forms of transportation.

But it’s also a piece of low-hanging fruit in the effort to prove the viability of alternative biofuels at scale.  Converting 20 percent of all air travel to biofuel would require significantly less resources and biomass than an equivalent transformation of ground transportation.  And the infrastructure adjustment would also be easier, since air travel is centered around 1,700 or so airports around the world, as opposed to the decentralized sprawl of ground vehicle use.

Boeing Wants to Power Its Aircraft with Equal Parts Petroleum Jet Fuel and Renewable Diesel