Cooking oil turned fuel
October 22, 2014
Boeing's new demonstration facility in Hangzhou, China, was to asses the technical feasibility and costs of turning used cooking oil into sustainable jet fuel, the US company said on its website.
It said the plant was being sponsored in cooperation with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). According to first estimates from the two firms, some 500 million gallons (1.8 billion liters) of biofuel could be made in China annually from used cooking oil, known as "gutter oil" in the Asian nation.
"Strong and continuing teamwork between Boeing and COMAC is helping our industry make progress on environmental challenges that no single company or country can solve alone," Boeing China President Ian Thomas.
Put to better use
Sustainably produced biofuel had the potential of reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent compared to petroleum through its lifecycle, Boeing maintained, adding it was expected to play a key role in supporting growth in the aviation industry.
The research project may help change Chinese citizens' view on gutter oil which has frequently been in the headlines for a different reason.
According to media reports, crime rings have been collecting used cooking oil from sewers and drains with a view to rebottling it and selling it as new. Scores of people have already been given lengthy sentences for the scam, causing many people to fall ill.
hg/ng (Reuters)