Boeing Co., the biggest commercial airplane maker, is seeking approval from U.S. regulators to fuel jets with a “green” diesel made from vegetable oils and fats that will reduce consumption of fossil fuels and curb greenhouse-gas emissions.
The fuel produces less than half the carbon dioxide emissions over its life cycle than fossil fuels and will cost about $3 a gallon in the U.S., Chicago-based Boeing said Tuesday in a statement.
Approval to use a fuel made from vegetable fats would increase options for airlines that are already using other types of biofuels made from inedible plant material.
Existing refineries that mostly supply the trucking industry in the U.S., Europe and Singapore may provide as much as 600 million gallons (2.27 billion liters) of the fuel for jets annually, or about 1 percent of global aviation demand, according to the statement.
The European Union is encouraging airlines to buy cleaner fuels with a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global carbon-dioxide emissions.
