Lufthansa has today started a six-month biofuel trial running on its Hamburg-Frankfurt-Hamburg route four times daily, at a cost of 6.6 million euros.
The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has awarded 2.5 million euros in funding for this project.
One of the test aircraft’s engines will run on a 50/50 mix of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. Biokerosene has similar properties to those of conventional kerosene it can be used for all aircraft types without any need for modifications to the aircraft or its engines.
The fuel is derived from pure biomass consisting of jatropha, camelina and animal fats. Lufthansa maintains that the biofuel is procured from a sustainable supply and production process. Suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability of their processes and meet the criteria stipulated by the European Parliament and the Council in the Renewable Energy Directive.
During the six month test run period, the use of biofuel is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1,500 tonnes.