Boeing and Continental Airlines will test a plane that runs on biofuel

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Source: Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2004281463_continental14.html?syndication=rss

By Ángel González

Seattle Times business reporter

Continental Airlines wants to fuel its jetliners with something more palatable than Texas Tea.

The Houston-based airline is teaming up with Boeing and engine maker GE Aviation to test a plane powered by a new generation of renewable fuels, the companies said Thursday.

The agreement makes Continental the first major U.S. airline to formally dabble in alternative energy, a trend gaining momentum as crude-oil prices soar beyond their historical record. The airline industry, which accounts for 2 percent of global carbon emissions, is high on the watchlist of environmentalists and regulators concerned about global warming.

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Common alternative fuels based on corn, soybean and palm oil have been criticized because it takes enormous amounts of water and land to produce them; in addition, higher demand for these staples is disrupting food prices.

That's why the airline industry is focusing on so-called second-generation biofuels, based on marginal or experimental crops such as algae, switch grass and jatropha.



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