[Peakoil] Airlines to develop green aviation fuel

[Alex Pollard]

If industrial-scale fuel production from algae (maybe using sewage) does 
not work, then I don't see how any biofuel production can be viable, apart 
from as a cottage industry.

Of course the sewage may be best used to fertilise crops for food 
production.

Alex
O4O4873828

President
ACT Peak Oil Inc.
http://act-peakoil.org
___________________________________________

Airlines to develop green aviation fuel
Tom McGhie, Mail on Sunday
22 June 2008, 2:57pm

Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and Boeing are joining forces to
develop the world's first green aviation fuel - made from pond and sea
weed.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/investing-and-markets/article.html?
in_article_id=443442&in_page_id=3

Soaring fuel costs and growing concerns over environmental damage
caused by conventional aviation fuel are driving plans to produce
biofuels based on algae.

The three companies will fund scientific projects to develop the fuel
source while testing the products on their own planes.

Virgin's Sir Richard Branson reckons that in five years the Virgin
fleet could run partly on fuel from algae.

'It offers huge potential. Crucially it is a source of biofuel which
doesn't lead to deforestation or taking away of land or water from the
cultivation of essential food crops,' he said.

Scientists believe that algae could be the ultimate biofuel, providing
the main solution to the problem of cutting airline carbon emissions.
The advantage of algae is that it can grow incredibly fast - doubling
in size in a few hours - and it does not need fresh water or good
quality land.

Thick green algae produces at least 15 times more oil per hectare than
alternatives such as palm oil, soya or jatropha, a nut-bearing shrub
cultivated in several countries as a biofuel.

Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is investing in a new plant in Hawaii
to grow marine algae.