Lufthansa's successful biosynthetic fuel trial

After a six-month practical trial involving biosynthetic fuel, Lufthansa says that the results are positive.  In all, 1,187 biofuel flights were operated between Hamburg and Frankfurt.  According to initial calculations, CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tonnes.

"Our burnFAIR project went off smoothly and to our fullest satisfaction.  As expected, biofuel proved its worth in daily flight operations," confirmed Joachim Buse, Vice President Aviation Biofuel at Lufthansa, highlighted last week by a Boeing 747-400, carrying about 40 tonnes of a biosynthetic fuel mix, operating Frankfurt to Washington.  With this flight alone, Lufthansa reduced CO2 emissions by 38 tonnes, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of six scheduled flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.

The principle behind biofuel is simple and is based on the carbon cycle.  Plants withdraw CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.  When aircraft engines burn biofuel, this CO2 is released back into the atmosphere.  Biofuel emits about 50% less CO2 than conventional fossil fuels.

"As a next step, we will focus on the suitability, availability, sustainability and certification of raw materials.  However, Lufthansa will only continue the practical trial if we are able to secure the volume of sustainable, certified raw materials required in order to maintain routine operations," Project Manager, Joachim Buse, stressed. www.puresky.de

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