Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) — Boeing Co. and South African Airways
are among a group of companies that today started a project to
turn tobacco plants into clean jet fuel.
The companies, along with SkyNRG and Sunchem SA, will use
the nicotine-free Solaris variety of tobacco plant to make clean
fuel that South African Airways will test, they said in a joint
statement. Test flights may begin next year.
The project “will benefit the environment and public
health while providing new economic opportunities for South
Africa’s small farmers,” said Miguel Santos, Boeing’s managing
director for Africa. “This project also positions our valued
airline customer to gain a long-term, viable domestic fuel
supply and improve South Africa’s national balance of
payments.”
To contact the reporter on this story:
Louise Downing in London at
ldowning4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at
landberg@bloomberg.net
Randall Hackley, Tony Barrett