Virgin flies 747 using Coconuts and Babassu nuts as fuel!

Posted by stephen on February 24, 2008

The first flight by a commercial airline to be powered partly by biofuel has taken place.

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the flight marked a “vital breakthrough” for the entire airline industry, as a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet flew between London’s Heathrow and Amsterdam using fuel derived from a mixture of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts.

However, environmentalists have branded the flight a publicity stunt and claim biofuel cultivation is not sustainable.

Virgin’s Boeing 747 had one of its four engines connected to an independent biofuel tank that it said could provide 20% of the engine’s power. The three other engines were capable of powering the plane on conventional fuel had there been a problem.

One problem with flying planes using biofuel is that it is more likely to freeze at high altitude.

The technology is still being manufactured by companies GE and Boeing, but Virgin believes airlines could routinely be flying on plant power within 10 years.

Kenneth Richter, of Friends of the Earth, said the flight was a “gimmick”, distracting from real solutions to climate change.

“If you look at the latest scientific research it clearly shows biofuels do very little to reduce emissions,” he said.

“At the same time we are very concerned about the impact of the large-scale increase in biofuel production on the environment and food prices worldwide.

“What we need to do is stop this mad expansion of aviation. At the moment it is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the UK, and we need to stop subsidising the industry.”

Greenpeace’s chief scientist, Dr Doug Parr, labelled the flight a “high-altitude greenwash” and said less air travel was the only answer.

Perhaps, instead of flying for peanuts, we could soon be flying on peanuts?