COMAC, Boeing cooperate to recycle oil

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China and Boeing Co opened the Boeing-COMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Technology Center on Aug 16.

The center's first research project is to try to treat and clean used cooking oil, often described in China as gutter oil, to use as jet fuel.

Boeing is also researching other biofuel materials, such as jatropha oil, with other institutes in China.

"Different regions have different materials for biofuel and we are looking for the most suitable one for China," said Marc Allen, president of Boeing China.

Due to their high cost, all types of biofuel have high prices now and it will take possibly five to 10 years to promote biofuel usage, he added.

Both COMAC and Boeing will invest capital and human resources into the center, which will expand knowledge in areas such as sustainable aviation biofuel and air traffic management.

"With the joint efforts of COMAC and Boeing, the center will make continuous progress and breakthroughs not only in the area of aviation biofuel development, but also other technologies of carbon emission reduction," said Qin Fuguang, president of COMAC’s Beijing Aeronautical Science and Technology Research Institute, where the center is located.