Boeing is proposing green diesel as a source of biofuel which, according to the manufacturer, emits at least 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel, over its lifecycle.
Produced from inedible plant oils,waste cooking oil, algae and waste animal fat, Boeing estimates that it will have a cost of $3 per gallon and says green diesel world production can meet 1 per cent of aviation's needs; which is 600 million gallons. Boeing states jet fuel prices are about $3 per gallon. In the International Air Transport Association's state of the industry report in December, it stated that jet fuel prices are expected to remain considerably higher over the next few years compared to prices in 2010.According to Boeing, the $3 price for green diesel would need, "government incentives," to be achieved because the starting price could be as high as $6 per gallon. Asked what the incentives are, Boeing says: "Today, US government incentives for a gallon of renewable diesel are today typically in the range of $1-3 per gallon."Boeing's research on green diesel found a chemical similarity between it and the aviation biofuel Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) which was approved in 2011. In related research, Boeing, Etihad, Honeywell and the Masdar Institute in the United Arab Emirates have been working together on aviation bioenergy research (see picture left). Boeing is now working with the US government's Federal Aviation Administration, engine manufacturers and green diesel producers in the fuel approvals process.