Boeing, Embraer to open joint biofuel research center

NEW YORK: US aerospace giant Boeing and Brazil's Embraer said today they will open a joint research center in Brazil to develop a sustainable biofuel for the aviation industry.

The research "will focus on technologies that address gaps in a supply chain for sustainable aviation biofuel in Brazil, such as feedstock production and processing technologies," the companies said in a statement.

When produced in sustainable ways, aviation biofuels, made from renewable resources such as plants, significantly reduce carbon emissions.

The two companies estimated aviation biofuel emits 50 to 80 per cent less carbon through its lifecycle than petroleum jet fuel.

Globally, more than 1,500 passenger flights using biofuel have been conducted since the fuel was approved for use in 2011, they noted.

The research center will be located in Sao Jose dos Campos, an industrial and research hub in southeastern Brazil where Embraer is based.