Technical support was provided by Boeing and fuel by World Energy. Transport is one the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions, and it is no coincidence that this is an area where a lot of effort is being put into finding greener and more sustainable alternatives to existing solutions.
Apart from land transport, one of the biggest polluters is air travel, where cheap low-cost flights may not be a burden on tourists’ wallets but they are on the planet, but it seems that this is not an area where a breakthrough is long in coming. Rolls-Royce recently flew its Boeing747 on 100 percent sustainable kerosene in a test flight.
There are two schools of thought on the banishment of fossil fuels from transport: electric solutions are currently the most common among four-wheelers, but there are also efforts to green the fuel itself rather than an entirely new powertrain. Next year at Le Mans, a French company will debut fuel made from a by-product of the wine industry and Formula 1 is looking to develop its own sustainable fuel, while Prince Charles’ favourite Aston Martin eats wine and cheese instead of petrol. This is also the trend in aviation – an electric plane that needs to be recharged after a few hundred kilometres would be interesting – and it seems to be working.
Rolls-Royce recently flew a Boeing jumbo jet using 100 per cent sustainable Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The 747 in question, the Trent 1000, was fitted with a turbofan jet engine that ran exclusively on SAF fuel, while the other three RB211 engines were fuelled with conventional kerosene, according to Rolls-Royce.
Technical support was provided by Boeing, while fuel was supplied by world energy. The aircraft departed from Tucson airport in Arizona, flew over New Mexico and Texas, and returned four hours later to the same location. According to Rolls-Royce, no technical problems were encountered during the test flight, proving that SAF is indeed a viable substitute for current jet fuels for commercial purposes.
SAF is made from waste products such as frying oil and animal fat used in restaurants. Rather than ending up in the bin and landfill, these waste materials are used to produce sustainable aviation fuel with 80 per cent lower carbon dioxide emissions. The biofuel also emits 90 percent less particulate matter and contains no sulphur oxide.
At present, aircraft can only operate on up to 50 per cent SAF, which is blended with conventional fuel, but Rolls-Royce says it remains in favour of allowing pure SAF to be used. With this in mind, the company announced last week that all of its Trend engines will be 100 per cent SAF compatible by 2023.
World Energy is the world’s first (and only US) SAF manufacturer, and is currently working to produce enough fuel for commercial sales. The importance of the problem and the benefits of alternative fuel have been recognised by the President of the United States himself, who has announced a new programme to produce 3 billion gallons of fuel by 2030. The initiative is part of a broad aviation action plan to tackle climate change, which will be unveiled in the coming months.
Source: Rolls-Royce
Recent article
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Japanese startup that makes flying “motorcycles” goes public
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Rolls-Royce’s microreactor is a new dimension in propulsion
Flying Cars News & Articles
The X2 flying car can fly under certain conditions
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Jetoptera is developing an FPS-powered aircraft
Air taxi News & Articles
Development of Airbus’ air taxi could accelerate
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
NASA’s new engine in action
Drones News & Articles
India also sees potential in agricultural drones
Drones News & Articles
Airbus launches drone production
Flying Cars News & Articles
SkyDrive Japanese flying car to enter commercial service in 2026
Additional aircraft
ARC Aerosystems’ newest aircraft the Linx P9
Drones News & Articles
Expect lots of drones in the future
Propulsion-Fuel
NASA funds development of a new type of nuclear engine
Drones News & Articles
The world’s fastest flying four-rotor drone
Drones News & Articles
The drone market is a good long-term investment
Drones News & Articles
In Romania, a drone is already taking samples from hospitals to the robotic laboratory
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
ZeroAvia’s Dornier with hydrogen-electric propulsion system flies for the first time
EVTOL & VTOL
What growth can we expect in the Evtol market in the coming years ?
Drones News & Articles
Flying drone home delivery is also being tested in Budapest
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are air traffic control and air navigation services adapting to eVTOL ?
Flying Cars News & Articles
What safety measures would be introduced in flying cars to prevent accidents ?
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Revolutionising crop production with aircraft
Drones News & Articles
Valkyrie drone placed in the US Air Force National Museum
Drones News & Articles
Black Swan unmanned aircraft can handle transport in Europe
Drones News & Articles
Drone-operated motorway planned in the UK
Air taxi News & Articles
What impact will the development and introduction of air taxis have on the workforce and the labour market ?
Drones News & Articles
Edible wing drone could save people in distress
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Could modernised versions of airships return ?
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Aviation on the verge of a revolution
Drones News & Articles
Chinese drone could stay in the air almost forever
Additional aircraft News & Articles
The world’s first flying motorcycle is about to fly
Drones News & Articles
Walmart’s drones now deliver in seven Member States
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are companies and governments working to develop and regulate electric Evtols and what challenges do they face in bringing these vehicles to market ?
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
What developments have been made in the field of electric motors ?
Air taxi News & Articles
Stellantis joins forces with air taxi developer Archer
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Alef A flying car is on sale – taxis could be on the way in three years
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Israeli flying car on AIR
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The first supersonic aircraft engine to run on sustainable fuel
Drones News & Articles
Drones could help weather forecasting
EVTOL & VTOL
The Volocopter is also expected to be commercialised in 2024
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Joint electrification between Renault and Airbus
More articles you may be interested in...
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
ZeroAvia’s Dornier with hydrogen-electric propulsion system flies for the first time
EVTOL & VTOL
What growth can we expect in the Evtol market in the coming years ?
Drones News & Articles
Flying drone home delivery is also being tested in Budapest
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are air traffic control and air navigation services adapting to eVTOL ?
Drones News & Articles
Walmart’s drones now deliver in seven Member States
Walmart's drone delivery program is expanding nicely. According to the company, shoppers in seven US.......... READ MORE
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are companies and governments working to develop and regulate electric Evtols and what challenges do they face in bringing these vehicles to market ?
Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, or Evtols, have garnered significant attention in recent years.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
What developments have been made in the field of electric motors ?
The increasing demand for energy efficiency and the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles have.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
Stellantis joins forces with air taxi developer Archer
The goal is to have the Midnight, a local take-off and landing vehicle designed for.......... READ MORE
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Alef A flying car is on sale – taxis could be on the way in three years
The Alef A model is a flying car being sold by Alef Aeronautics for around.......... READ MORE
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Israeli flying car on AIR
An Israeli start-up is attempting to distinguish itself by creating an eVTOL intended for widespread.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The first supersonic aircraft engine to run on sustainable fuel
Boom Supersonic's Overture aims to revolutionize supersonic passenger travel with its new engine. The Overture.......... READ MORE
Drones News & Articles
Drones could help weather forecasting
A drone with a wind sensor was used to collect weather data in the Sea.......... READ MORE