A newly formed technology center created by
Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) has
confirmed that Hangzhou Energy Engineering & Technology, Co.,
Ltd., (HEET) will conduct the center's first research project.
HEET, a company with experience developing alternative energy
technologies, will focus on ways to convert discarded cooking oil
into a component of sustainable aviation biofuel at the
Boeing-COMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions
Technology Center.
The project aims to identify contaminants in
waste cooking oil, which often is described in China as "gutter
oil", and processes that may treat and clean it for use as jet
fuel.
The focus of the project for the first year will be to
demonstrate the feasibility of achieving significant cost
reduction in converting gutter oils and other waste oils into jet
fuel through improvement of conversion efficiency and associated
technology.
The Boeing-COMAC technology center is working
with China-based universities and research institutions to expand knowledge in areas such as sustainable aviation biofuels and air
traffic management that improve commercial aviation's efficiency
and reduce carbon emissions.
Funded by both companies, the
center opened in August at COMAC's new Beijing Aeronautical
Science and Technology Research Institute (BASTRI).
"As
one of the member organizations of COMAC, BASTRI was built for
carrying out civil aviation industry research and we aim at
expanding knowledge in sustainable aviation biofuels and carbon
emissions reduction," said Qin Fuguang, president of BASTRI,
COMAC. "China is the world's fastest growing aviation market and
the biggest consumer of cooking oil. There's great potential for
converting the waste cooking oil into sustainable aviation fuel.
It's a good opportunity for Boeing, HEET and COMAC to work
together and make efforts to protect the environment."
Waste cooking oil shows potential
as a feedstock for sustainable aviation biofuel production and an
alternative to petroleum-based fuel because China annually
consumes approximately 29 million tons of cooking oil, while its
aviation system uses 20 million tons of jet fuel. Finding more
efficient ways to convert "gutter oil" into jet fuel could
increase regional biofuel supplies and improve biofuel's
affordability, enhancing the potential for commercial use.
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