Algae-Based Aircraft Fuel Gets First Test-Flight

The Green Inc. blog from The New York Times reports on the first experimental flight of a Continental Airlines 737 using biofuels made from jatropha and algae.

The test flight was performed using a Continental Airlines 737. The BBC reports that the flight lasted 90-minutes, using a 50-50 blend of biofuel and normal aircraft fuel to power one of the plane’s engines.

Green Inc. also reports it could be easier to switch aircraft than cars over to biofuel. Aicraft fuel specifcations are uniform, while the rules for car fuel vary from state to state. There are fewer fueling stations for aircraft than cars.

Source: BBC and Green Inc.