In November 2009, during a 1.5-hour KLM flight above The Netherlands, one engine of a Boeing 747 ran on a mixture of 50% sustainable biofuel and 50% traditional kerosene (www. physorg. com/news178223585.html). The other three engines ran on 100% normal kerosene. The biofuel used on this flight reduced carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional kerosene. KLM conducted this flight partly powered by a biofuel produced from Camelina. The flight took off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and on board were a number of Dutch government officials and industry partners. Some of the Camelina was reportedly sourced from Great Plains Oil & Exploration — The Camelina Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In November 2009, KLM also announced the formation of a joint-venture company to develop sustainable biofuels called SkyNRG (www. skynrg. com), together with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) advises the consortium on ecological aspects.

KLM is now flying daily between Amsterdam and Paris on used cooking oil and tallow. More than 200 KLM flights will operate on biokerosene to meet the same technical specifications as traditional kerosene. KLM chose the road of flying on cooking oil and animal fats to avoid the “food-or-fuel” debate. The “waste” on KLM flights is sourced from Dynamic Fuels, a joint venture between Syntroleum and Tyson Foods (a large meat producer) in the United States. Send your cooking oil from your French fries to KLM and you might get extra mileage on your frequent flyer program — in future, KLM should call it “The Frequent Fryer Program!”.

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