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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 07/18/2007 : 03:31:45
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A New Zealand company is said to be working "secretly" with Air New Zealand and Boeing to develop and test a biofuel made from algae grown in sewage ponds. Air New Zealand and airliner manufacturer Boeing are secretly working with Blenheim-based biofuel developer Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation to create the world's first environmentally friendly aviation fuel, made of wild algae.
If the project pans out the small and relatively new New Zealand company could lead the world in environmentally sustainable aviation fuel.
It's understood Air NZ is undertaking risk analysis. If everything stacks up it will make an aircraft available on the Tasman to test the biofuel.
The fuel is essentially derived from bacterial pond scum created through the photosynthesis of sunlight and carbon dioxide on nutrient-rich water sources such as sewage ponds.
Air NZ would most likely test the fuel on one engine while normal aviation fuel would drive the other engine. Fuel is held in cells on the aircraft that can be directed to a specific engine. |
Hmm... Seems I recall we have someone here who is both local to NZ and works with microscopic waterborne lifeforms. Comment, Hawks?
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2007 : 14:51:07 [Permalink]
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Hmmm. This is the first I've heard about this. You would have thought that extracting energy from sewage would be a good idea, considering it's high nutrient content and the need for the stuff to be treated somehow anyway. I found this tidbit interesting:
| Boeing's Dave Daggett was reported this year as saying algae ponds totalling 34,000 square kilometres could produce enough fuel to reduce the net CO2 footprint for all of aviation to zero. |
Assuming that the average annual jet fuel consumption is just over 300 billion liters (my source for this might not exactly be reliable) would mean that each square meter would have to produce some 9 liters of fuel per year (25 millilitres/day). This calculation does not include the energy cost for extracting and distributing the fuel in the first place. I can't really say if this is feasible or not. From what I recall, algae do have a high lipid content and unlike plants have much fewer difficult-to-digest bits.
The ponds would, in any case, have to cover some 12.6% of the land area of New Zealand. But that's a small price we would be willing to pay to retain our image as "Clean, green New Zealand". Eeer. Maybe you guys can have some of them? |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2007 : 20:29:23 [Permalink]
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Thanks for the feedback, Hawks. I half expected you to just say, "No comment," since the secret project is right there on South Island where you are, and you are in that general field. So, a Clean, Green (albeit reeking) New Zealand might be able to make this practical, eh?
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Pond scum may power NZ jets
