United Airlines Invests in Biofuels | Alternative Energy

United Airlines Invests in Biofuels

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28 Jul ’15 - 9:57 am

interesting, wonder if there are any issues with it in cold weather

A few years ago, we were hearing a lot about airlines testing and beginning to run on biofuels(combined with petroleum). With the latest announcements, are we ready for take off?

This summer, United Airlines begins flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco on 30% non-edible oils like camelina and agricultural waste and 70% jet fuel.

United is also taking a stake in the industry, announcing a $30 million investment in Fulcrum Bioenergy, which is about to start producing biofuels from municipal waste. And Fulcrum will supply United with up to 90 million gallons of biofuels a year - 3% of United's annual consumption - under a 10-year contract worth $1.58 billion, according to Biofuels Digest.

more http://www.sustainab.....y/id/26388

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31 Jul ’15 - 10:31 am

looks like UPS is getting into it as well, wonder when we will see it at the consumer level

For years, companies that rely heavily on fuel have experimented with substitutes for conventional gasoline and diesel, including natural gas, electricity and biofuels.

Now, one company is moving beyond the test phase. On Wednesday, UPS announced that it will buy as much as 46 million gallons of renewable diesel over the next three years, helping the company reach a goal of displacing 12 percent of the petroleum-based fuels in its ground fleet by 2017.

The renewable fuels, from three suppliers, are chemically so close to their petroleum-based counterparts that they can replace them in engines and pipelines. They are made from an array of bio-based sources, including palm and waste oils, and animal fats.

“It’s actually as good or even better from a performance perspective as traditional diesel,” including easy starts in cold weather, said Mike Whitlatch, vice president for global energy and procurement at UPS.

http://www.nytimes.c......html?_r=0