Boeing, Comac Collaborate to Create Biofuel from Gutter Oil

Boeing and China’s Comac on Wednesday opened a demonstration facility for turning waste cooking oil, commonly referred to as gutter oil in China, into sustainable aviation biofuel. Experts in the field estimate that China generates enough gutter oil to produce 500 million gallons of biofuel annually.  

Called the China-U.S. Aviation Biofuel Pilot Project, the Boeing-Comac sponsored facility will use a technology developed by Hangzhou Energy & Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. (HEET) to clean contaminants from waste oil and convert it into jet fuel at a rate of 160 gallons per day. The project’s goal centers on assessing the technical feasibility and cost of producing higher volumes of biofuel.

“We are very happy to see the progress that has been made in the collaboration between Boeing and Comac, especially the achievement in aviation biofuel technology,” said Dr. Guangqiu Wang, vice president of Comac’s Beijing Aeronautical Science & Technology Research Institute. “We will continue to work with Boeing in energy conservation and emissions reduction areas to promote the sustainable development of the aviation industry.”

Sustainably produced biofuel reduces carbon emissions by 50 to 80 percent compared with petroleum through its lifecycle. Biofuel produced by the China-U.S. Aviation Biofuel Pilot Project will meet international specifications approved in 2011 for jet fuel made from plant oils and animal fats. Airlines have already used such biofuel for more than 1,600 commercial flights.

Other projects on which Boeing and Comac have collaborated since 2012 include their Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Center in Beijing, which works with Chinese universities and research institutions to expand knowledge in areas that improve aviation's efficiency, such as aviation biofuel and air traffic management.

The Boeing Current Market Outlook has forecast that China will require more than 6,000 new airplanes by 2033 to meet passenger demand for domestic and international air travel.