You can't use tobacco during a flight, but it looks like your plane can. Boeing is partnering with South African Airways to start fueling its planes with a biofuel made from a new strain of tobacco plant.
Biofuels work exactly like fossil fuels, but they are made from renewable sources such as algae, wood, agricultural waste. Finding alternative solutions is a key goal for the aviation industry, because fuels are the largest expense of an airline (representing one third of total operating costs). Beyond saving money, the International Air Transport Association estimates that biofuels can reduce the industry's total carbon footprint by 80 percent.
Boeing has several biofuel projects that it runs on six continents. The latest project, announced on Wednesday, started in October when South African Airways approached the company from Seattle to develop a sustainable biofuel supply chain. South Africa has committed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. South African Airways wishes to use local biofuels by 2017.
Boeing and the airline have decided to use tobacco instead of established biofuel sources such as algae. For a biofuel to make sense, Boeing spokesperson Jessica Kowal says, the raw material must be cultivated locally (to minimize transportation costs and its carbon footprint). It must fit into existing supply chains and not cause problems with the soil and water used. Tobacco is already being cultivated in South Africa, Wired reports. As there are global anti‑smoking campaigns, the country will continue to grow it and will minimize the impact of these campaigns on farmers.
The plant species, called Solaris, is used for fuel produced by SkyNRG, a fuel company. This particular plant produces large seeds that contain the plant oil from which the fuel is made. It contains almost no nicotine.
To use the biofuel that comes from the smoke, the South African Airways fleet will need a few years, as production needs to increase. According to the 2017 plan, the airline will not abruptly stop using conventional fuels. The idea, as with all biofuels, is to blend the product that comes from the smoke with conventional fuels. “This is the only feasible approach,” says Kowal, because the change must be gradual.
