'Half aviation industry' could use biofuel by 2020

Around half the fuel used by the aviation industry could come from biofuel or renewables within ten years, it has been claimed.

According to Sir Richard Branson, global airlines, of which there are over 7,000, could more easily switch to green fuel than any other transport sector because there are so few places to re-fuel.

"Unlike cars where there are millions of filling stations, there are only about 1,700 aviation stations in the world. So if you can get the right fuel, like mass-produced algae, then getting it to 1,700 outlets is not so difficult," Sir Richard told the Guardian.

He added that he would be "disappointed" if the aviation industry was unable to hit 50 per cent biofuels by 2020.

Recently, researchers from the US Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) developed a type of E.coli, which could be used to develop biofuel by digesting switchgrass biomass and creating sugars.

Posted by Claire Manning