Boeing joins new BIOjet Abu Dhabi team to grow biofuel supply chain

Boeing, Etihad Airways, Takreer, Total and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology will collaborate on a new initiative to support a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in the United Arab Emirates. BIOjet Abu Dhabi: Flight Path to Sustainability will engage a broad range of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive framework for a U.A.E. biofuel supply chain. This initiative will focus on research and development and investments in feedstock production and refining capability in the U.A.E. and globally. Etihad Airways showed the promise of this homegrown effort on January 19th, with a 45-minute demonstration flight in a Boeing 777 powered in part by U.A.E.-produced sustainable aviation biofuel. The biofuel was partially converted from plants by Total and refined into jet fuel by Takreer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC). U.A.E. is now among a handful of countries that have produced and flown on their own aviation biofuel, which emits at least 50% carbon dioxide than fossil fuel over its lifecycle.