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(Image: [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAImFUMnk3fjCJlpWkfMDMDlm7LMZsq1Q33w&s|https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAImFUMnk3fjCJlpWkfMDMDlm7LMZsq1Q33w&s]]) It's bad enough for some prop airplanes to be referred to as being powered by rubber bands. Now the skeptics might start having a dig at commercial aircraft flying on everything from cooking oil to liquefied algae. (Image: [[https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Images/jatropha_curcas/jatrophacurcas20.jpg|https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Images/jatropha_curcas/jatrophacurcas20.jpg]]) With the civil air travel market under increasing pressure from rising oil prices and ecological legislation, the race is on to discover viable options to traditional kerosene and these so far appear to boil down to numerous kinds of biofuel. Not remarkably, the first trials of alternative fuel were started by British air travel pioneer, Sir Richard Branson, whose Virgin Atlantic began London to Amsterdam flights with restricted biofuel usage in 2008. This was rapidly followed by Lufthansa and Air New Zealand who each various blends of routine fuel and bio derivatives consisting of some from made from jatropha which can grow in soil thought about too poor for growing mainstream foods. Jatropha is a genus of roughly 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees (some are deciduous, like Jatropha curcas), from the family Euphorbiaceae. In 2007 Goldman Sachs mentioned Jatropha curcas as one of the very best prospects for future biodiesel production. It is resistant to drought and pests, and produces seeds including 27-40% oil. Recently, US aerospace giant Boeing, Brazilian aeronautical major Embraer and the Sao Paulo state Research Support Foundation relocated to perform research study and development into making use of biofuels to power jet airliners. It was reported that Brazilian airline companies Azul, Gol, TAM and Trip would function as strategic consultants for the project. The most current airline company to begin explore new fuels is the Alaska Air Group which has actually conducted internal US flights utilizing a blend of 80 % petroleum based fuel and 20% biofuel made from cooking oil. This mix, it is declared, can cut damaging emissions by 10%. [[//www.youtube.com/embed/gYlJzvBvsHg|external site]] One truly motivating advancement has actually been the relocation away from biofuels which compete head on with food customers consequently avoiding a rate spiral. Not so long back, a surge in usage of biofuels in automobiles triggered a spike in maize costs as US farmers diverted too much corn to fuel processing. Hopefully in the future, airlines and drivers will focus biofuel consumption on non-food sources such as jatropha and algae. It would be a blended blessing indeed if some individuals wound up starving simply to satisfy somebody else's green qualifications. (Image: [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Jatropha_curcas1_henning.jpg|https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Jatropha_curcas1_henning.jpg]])
