Airline low-carbon future needs fuel nobody makes in volume

The airline industry’s plan to ease its impact on global warming hinges on fuels made from vegetable oil, corn and household garbage. The hitch: nobody has ever been able to produce the stuff in the volumes needed. JetBlue Airways, United Continental and Virgin Group have begun blending eco-friendly substitutes into traditional jet fuel made from kerosene. Even with that backing, there’s still only a handful of producers of the fuels. They lack the capacity to crank out the billions of gallons needed to supply the global aviation fleet, and the pace of investment is slowing. Even so, airlines are staking their low-carbon future on renewable fuels. The aviation industry, responsible for more than 2% of greenhouse gases, is being pushed to act this week by delegates from 190 nations, who are debating a UN accord in Montreal that would cap emissions from international flights. Ultimately, that means burning less fossil fuel. With electric planes still experimental, airlines and aerospace companies say biofuels are their best bet. “There is a tremendous amount of determination to make biofuel work because we just don’t have any alternative,” said Julie Felgar, Boeing’s MD of environmental strategy and integration.<br/>