Photo: Qantas is using a biofuel mix to highlight the potential
(Tim Wimborne: Reuters)
A Qantas flight between Sydney and Adelaide today is using a 50-50 mix of conventional fuel and refined cooking oil.
The biofuel costs far more than conventional fuel, partly due to its importation from the United States.
But Qantas says it is absorbing the one-off cost because it is keen to highlight the need for an Australian biofuel source, at a time when airlines and passengers around the world are dealing with high jet fuel and carbon emission costs.
John Valastro of Qantas says the flight is a commercial first in Australia.
"It's actually really significant because it's the first commercial flight to be powered by sustainable aviation fuel in Australia and that's a big step for this country," he said.
He says the flight will produce far less carbon emissions than if conventional jet fuel were used.
"We're talking about a 60 per cent reduction in the overall life cycle of the fuel, so that's a substantial improvement," he said.
The biofuel component of the fuel used for the flight is from refined cooking oil.
Biofuels are sometimes criticised for cutting into potential food supplies but Qantas says it has used a product that is not a food crop.
The oil came from and was refined in Houston before it was shipped to Australia.
It has cost more than four times an equivalent flight using normal fuel, partly because of the shipping distance involved.
But Mr Valastro says passengers are not paying a surcharge.
"We're actually using this opportunity to highlight what needs to be done, getting people on board," he said.
Aviation industry analyst Tom Ballantyne says Qantas and other airlines want governments to invest in the biofuels push.
"We know we can make them, we know they're exactly the same as jet fuel and have absolutely no impact on the operation of the aircraft," he said.
"The trick is making enough and building the infrastructure to provide that.
"What is actually needed is money. A lot of the big airlines' argument is that governments should invest money in the refineries which are required to produce these biofuels. They argue that very strongly, but so far many governments have been a bit slow in coming forward."
The biofuel costs far more than conventional fuel, partly due to its importation from the United States.
But Qantas says it is absorbing the one-off cost because it is keen to highlight the need for an Australian biofuel source, at a time when airlines and passengers around the world are dealing with high jet fuel and carbon emission costs.
John Valastro of Qantas says the flight is a commercial first in Australia.
"It's actually really significant because it's the first commercial flight to be powered by sustainable aviation fuel in Australia and that's a big step for this country," he said.
He says the flight will produce far less carbon emissions than if conventional jet fuel were used.
"We're talking about a 60 per cent reduction in the overall life cycle of the fuel, so that's a substantial improvement," he said.
The biofuel component of the fuel used for the flight is from refined cooking oil.
Biofuels are sometimes criticised for cutting into potential food supplies but Qantas says it has used a product that is not a food crop.
The oil came from and was refined in Houston before it was shipped to Australia.
It has cost more than four times an equivalent flight using normal fuel, partly because of the shipping distance involved.
But Mr Valastro says passengers are not paying a surcharge.
"We're actually using this opportunity to highlight what needs to be done, getting people on board," he said.
Aviation industry analyst Tom Ballantyne says Qantas and other airlines want governments to invest in the biofuels push.
"We know we can make them, we know they're exactly the same as jet fuel and have absolutely no impact on the operation of the aircraft," he said.
"The trick is making enough and building the infrastructure to provide that.
"What is actually needed is money. A lot of the big airlines' argument is that governments should invest money in the refineries which are required to produce these biofuels. They argue that very strongly, but so far many governments have been a bit slow in coming forward."
The hope is that biofuels will eventually cost about the same as current jet fuel.
Peter Zurzolo heads the Future Farming Co-operative Research Centre.
At Narrogin, south-east of Perth, he and others are trialing whether the common mallee eucalypt is a viable biofuel source.
"Not only is it a common tree but it's well understood. In WA alone, we know there's about 13,000 hectares on about 1,000 farms," he said.
"We're providing what we're hoping is a long-term sustainable and regionally-based feedstock supply that can be competitively grown into different processing units, hopefully around regional Australia," he said.
Peter Zurzolo heads the Future Farming Co-operative Research Centre.
At Narrogin, south-east of Perth, he and others are trialing whether the common mallee eucalypt is a viable biofuel source.
"Not only is it a common tree but it's well understood. In WA alone, we know there's about 13,000 hectares on about 1,000 farms," he said.
"We're providing what we're hoping is a long-term sustainable and regionally-based feedstock supply that can be competitively grown into different processing units, hopefully around regional Australia," he said.
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