The first commercial airliner to fly using biofuel took off yesterday in what was hailed as a breakthrough in the search for alternatives to oil.
The Virgin Atlantic Jumbo jet flew from Heathrow to Amsterdam with one of its engines partly powered by a mixture of coconut oil and oil from babassu trees found in Brazilian rainforests.
Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the flight proved the possibility of an alternative to fossil fuel and could lead to a cut in CO2 emissions.
Environmentalists dismissed the launch as a gimmick which would do little to halt climate change. They say biofuels push up food prices and hasten deforestation.
Sir Richard said: 'This pioneering flight will enable those of us who are serious about reducing our carbon emissions to develop the fuels of the future which will power our aircraft through sustained oils, such as algae.'
He admitted coconut oil was 'not the answer' but the project would act as a catalyst to develop plant fuels which could eventually replace the kerosene used today.
Boeing, which worked with Virgin on the project, said all 15,000 of its planes could run on biofuels.
However, Greenpeace dismissed the flight as a publicity stunt and said a cap on the number of flights was the only way to cut emissions.
But will it really take off?
As oil supplies dwindle and consumption grows, the pressure is on to find a viable alternative.
The fuel which helped power the Boeing 747 came from coconut plantations in the Philippines and wild babassu trees in Brazil.
Typically, one acre of coconuts or babassu trees produces about 250 gallons of oil a year.
With the air industry using 5million barrels of oil every day, an area of land more than twice the size of France would need to be given over to coconut plantations to provide enough fuel.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=103576&in_page_id=34
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