Mary-Louise Hoffman
Boeing has partnered with Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China for a project that aims to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel for the aviation market.
The companies established a demonstration facility that will use a Hangzhou Energy & Engineering Technology-built technology designed to produce up to 160 gallons of jet fuel derived from purified gutter oils each day, Boeing said Wednesday.
The China-U.S. Aviation Biofuel Pilot Project also seeks to examine the feasibility and cost of producing large biodiesel volumes.
“Strong and continuing teamwork between Boeing and COMAC is helping our industry make progress on environmental challenges that no single company or country can solve alone,” said Ian Thomas, president of Boeing’s Chinese operations.
The companies also work with research and academic institutions to develop methods for improving air traffic management and aircraft fuel efficiency through the Boeing-COMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Center in Beijing.
According to Boeing, sustainable biodiesel could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80 percent.
