Air China and Boeing have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the intention of carrying out a trans-Pacific biofuel flight between China and the United States. The sustainably sourced biofuel for the trans-Pacific flight will be produced both in the United States and China to test and compare the respective qualities and capabilities of the fuels.

The Chinese venture was initiated following the signing of a series of Sino-US cooperation agreements in May 2011, which included the joint development of a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in China based on Jatropha, which is grown widely in the south of the country.

The demonstration flight will help verify the feasibility, supply capacity, and commercial potential of Chinese-produced biofuel that meets ASTM fuel stan­dards, and aims to build a platform for an industrial supply chain in the country, says Air China. The Department of Airworthiness Certification at the Civil Avia­tion Administration of China (CAAC) will track the fuel production process and carry out inspections before issuing approval for the biofuels to be used on the demonstration flight. Based on its experience, CAAC will begin the process of establishing national standards in aviation biofuel production.

As a first step, on 28 October 2011, an Air China Boeing 747-400 passenger jet, filled with a mixture of biofuel and aviation kerosene, made an inauguration test flight circling above Beijing. The 20-year-old 747-400 was fuelled in part by a biofuel produced from home-grown Jatropha, in the Yunnan province. The plane was powered by United Technologies Pratt & Whitney engines, although only one of four was running the biofuel blend. Honeywell International and PetroChina cooperated on the fuel production.

The use of Jatropha-based fuel could have particular appeal in China, which has plentiful stretches of dry and barren land to devote to growing the plant. Petro — China has planted nearly 200 000 hectares worth of Jatropha in various locations around the country. China has more than 58 million hectares of barren mountain land suitable for the plant.

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