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Qantas Boeing 787-9 Flew With 10 Percent Biofuel

Qantas Boeing 787-9 Flew With 10 Percent Biofuel. Qantas flight QF96 left Los Angeles and arrived in Melbourne 15 hours later. What made the trans-Pacific flight special is the fact that it was the first time that an airplane flying from the US UU Australia was propelled, at least partially, by biofuel.

The Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 had a combination of 90 percent traditional aviation fuel and 10 percent biofuel, the last of which was derived from a type of non-food mustard seed known as Brassica Carinata.

According to Qantas, biofuel could reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent compared to regular aviation fuel.

b787-9 qantas

Qantas Boeing 787-9 Flew With 10 Percent Biofuel, pic: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner


This means that the mixed fuel used in this week's flight should have resulted in a 7 percent reduction, equivalent to 18,000 kg (39,683 lb) in reduced carbon emissions.

Developed by Agrisoma Biosciences of Canada, the Carinata mustard plant can be grown on fallow land unsuitable for other crops or between regular growing cycles; not only improves soil quality and reduces erosion, but also provides farmers with an additional source of income.

Agrisoma and Qantas are currently working to bring agriculture from Carinata to Australia, where field trials have already shown that water-efficient farming should be successful.

It is expected that by 2020, Australian farmers will cultivate it as the country's first commercial aviation biofuel seed crop.

"Our work with Agrisoma will allow Australian farmers to start growing today for the future needs of the biofuel in the country," says Qantas International CEO Alison Webster. "The association's longer-term strategic objective is to develop 400,000 hectares [988,422 acres] of Carinata that would yield more than 200 million liters [52.8 million gallons] of bio-jet fuel each year, which will support the development of a reactor Renewable fuel supply and bio-refinery in Australia to boost our fleet and further reduce carbon emissions in our operations. "
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