In an earlier post we told you about Sir Richard Branson’s plans to undertake a $400m project in Virgin Fuels to produce environmentally friendly ethanol fuel in US. Taking his plans further, the British billionaire will test a 747, without passengers on a renewable fuel that they have developed by beginning of 2008. It seems as if a competition of sorts is going on between Virgin and Air New Zealand as to who will test biofuel in aircrafts first. It was believed that Branson would test biofuel by the end of the next year, but with Air New Zealand’s statement about testing a combination of bio fuel and Kerosene in 2008, Virgin wants to take a leap by testing biofuel first. Taking civil aviation to an altogether new height, the Virgin group is developing the biofuel for the aircrafts in collaboration with Boeing Co and engine-maker GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric Co. Ethanol, the most common biofuel, is made from corn in US and sugarcane in Brazil. But the problem with Ethanol is that it freezes at an altitude of 15,000 and is corrosive in nature. Butanol, a similar but less corrosive fuel made form biomass could also become successful in aviation. Hopefully by the beginning of next decade, eco friendly bio fuel produced by the aviation giant will be available for not only aircrafts but buses, cars and trains as well. With air travel becoming cheaper, a lot of concern is being raised world wide on the amount of emissions it releases direct into the atmosphere. Virgin head Branson, had announced last year that out of his 51% stake in Virgin airline and rail business, all the profit for the next 10 year would be utilized in combating global warming. Via: Reuters
