Australian innovation to fuel a sustainable aviation future 16 January 2012 Australia is set to play a major role in the future of sustainable aviation as Boeing and CSIRO launch collaborative research to assess Australia’s capacity for biofuel production. The joint Sustainable Feedstocks for Aviation Fuels program will determine whether new feedstocks grown in Australia’s north could significantly scale up biofuel production for the aviation industry. It will assess the efficacy of existing short-rotation trees and grass feedstocks, evaluate fuel conversion potential, and investigate possible production systems in relation to local infrastructure and production capacity. The research proposal comes less than a year after CSIRO and its aviation partners in Australia and New Zealand released a report championing the case for a bio-derived jet fuel industry. According to the report, Flight Path to Sustainable Aviation, fuels derived from plants, trees, algae, waste and other organic matter could reduce industry carbon emission by 17 per cent over the next 20 years. Boeing’s General Manager of Research and Technology, Michael Edwards, said the company’s latest collaboration with CSIRO will move the industry towards fulfilling the recommendations of last year’s report. “The roadmap made a compelling case for the development of a new Australian bio-based aviation fuel industry,” said Mr Edwards. “The challenge now is to find the right way to scale up feedstock production so these new fuels are both environmentally and economically sustainable.” Boeing and CSIRO expect the Sustainable Feedstocks for Aviation Fuels program will lead to broader partnerships across the aviation industry and commercially viable fuel supply chains within the decade. More information |