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Camelina: a hardy annual that's 40% oil
A Gulfstream G450 is the first aircraft to fly from North America to Europe using biofuel. The Honeywell-operated aircraft touched down safely in Paris on a 50/50 blend of Honeywell Green Jet Fuel and petroleum-based jet fuel powering one of the aircraft’s engines. The biofuel is derived from camelina, a “dedicated energy crop” that does not compete in the food chain.
Camelina, a member of the mustard family, grows in rotation with wheat acreage and can also grow on marginal land. The feedstock for this flight was grown and harvested by Sustainable Oils, a U.S.-based producer.
The flight departed from Morristown, N.J., at 9 p.m. Friday June 17 and arrived in Paris about seven hours after takeoff. The jet closely followed the route taken by Charles Lindbergh’s famous first flight across the Atlantic.
According to Honeywell, use of Green Jet Fuel on the flight saved approximately 5.5 metric tons of net carbon dioxide emissions compared to the same flight powered by petroleum-based fuel.
In each of 16 biofuel flights conducted by Honeywell to date, the company says its petroleum substitutes made from sustainable, inedible sources such as camelina, jatropha and algae met all specifications for flight on military and commercial platforms without any modification to the aircraft or engines.
“We are one step closer to commercial use that will help the aviation community reduce its carbon footprint and dependence on crude,” concludes Honeywell’s Jim Rekoske.
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