SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil--U.S. aerospace company Boeing and
Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on Wednesday inaugurated a program
to promote research on producing aviation biofuels.
The program will coordinate and, in some cases, finance research
to produce more sustainable and environmentally friendly fuels,
taking advantage of Brazil's experience in the area, said Boeing
Latin America President Donna Hrinak.
"One big goal of this project is to ensure that we don't lose"
Brazil's competitive advantage in this type of research, she said
at the inauguration ceremony.
Brazil is the world's second-biggest producer of ethanol, after
the U.S., and has the world's biggest fleet of cars that can run on
both the alternative fuel and gasoline.
Sugar cane will be one of the feedstocks for research projects,
but Brazil has other possible raw materials as well, said Mauro
Kern, Embraer's executive vice president for engineering and
technology, including algae, used cooking oil and a fruit called
macauba that grows on some types of palm trees.
Boeing and Embraer executives declined to provide figures on how
much money the program will have available to finance projects or
to give details on potential projects. The Center will probably
reach its first project agreement in the first half of this year,
Mr. Kern said
Even with the current low price of oil, it makes sense to
continue developing alternate sources of fuel because reducing
carbon emissions is a long-term challenge, he added.
Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at jeffrey.lewis@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires