New | Aviation biofuel project could kill two birds with one stone - if Sinopec brings cost down
China’s civil aviation regulator on Wednesday granted a license to the nation’s top refinery for its self-developed aviation biofuel, effectively giving a green light to the large-scale commercial use of the environmentally friendly energy.
The permission, the first of its kind in China, means Sinopec Group has joined the ranks of just a few institutions in the world capable of developing aviation biofuel.
The cost of biofuels is approximately two to three times of the conventional fuel according to international standards
The specific fuels approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to be used on commercial jets is called No. 1 Aviation Biofuel, made from palm oils and recycled cooking oils. The company initiated its research in 2009. Last April, a test flight using the fuel was successfully conducted in Shanghai.
Biofuels, made from vegetable oils or animal fats, have significantly low carbon dioxide emissions compared to those of fossil fuels and have gained popularity in recent years in the aviation industry. They are viewed as a feasible alternative to conventional fuel, especially for an industry so heavily dependent on the price of oil and under close scrutiny to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions.
A number of airlines in developed countries have turned to researching biofuels in recent years, in hopes the fuels can power their commercial jets on a large scale in the near future. For instance German carrier Lufthansa, the largest airline in Europe, made more than 1,000 biofuel trips in a six-month-long trial last year.
But Sinopec has warned that a major obstacle still facing the large-scale commercialisation of this novel technology is its steep cost.
