Biofuels to make flights eco-friendly?

The possibility of using biofuels to reduce airlines' carbon emissions could be a viable one, an expert has said.

Malcolm Watson, technical director of the UK Petroleum Industry Association, said that using the process of converting biomass to liquids (BtL) could help to slash the overall emissions released by flights around the world.

However, he noted that it may be some time before such a move could be implemented, should research find BtL to be suitable for the airline industry.

Despite this, a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said the airline has plans to demonstrate its work on the development of eco-friendly fuels for use in aeroplanes next year, a project it has been carrying out with Boeing, Virgin Fuels and GE Aviation.

"The demonstration, using a Boeing 747-400, will be the first worldwide by any commercial airline and aim[s] to identify sustainable fuel sources suitable for commercial jet engines and the aviation industry," she commented.

A number of aviation organisations, including airlines and airports, currently offer carbon offset schemes to holidaymakers who wish to make their air travel more environmentally-friendly.

Such schemes ask for a donation to projects such as tree-planting to negate the carbon emissions released by a traveller's air journey.

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