Biofuel world first for Etihad

An Abu Dhabi-based energy research group last week hailed Etihad Airways for achieving the world’s first commercial flight using biofuel made in the UAE. The flight by a Boeing B787 Dreamliner was from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam.

The announcement was from the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), a non-profit entity established by the Masdar Institute unit of Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

The B787 was powered by GE’s GEnx-1B engines. SBRC said the flight marked a “major milestone in the development of a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions”.

The institute said the initiative also addressed food security in the UAE through the farming of seafood as a core element in the process through the UAE’s Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS).

Etihad Aviation Group CEO Tony Douglas noted the airline had been at the forefront of aviation biofuel research in the region. “Etihad is fully committed to this project which demonstrates a successful proof of concept that is local, viable, cost-effective and sustainable,” he added.

The sustainable fuel for the flight was derived from oil in Salicornia plants grown on a two-hectare SEAS farm in Masdar City.

www.etihad.com

https://sbrc.masdar.ac.ae

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