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Flying High with Used Cooking Oil, Canola Oil -- or Pot?

Harriet Baskas — 2013-04-22T11:15:00+00:00

We know pot can get you high, but can it also help airplanes fly? A biofuel company in Washington thinks so.

The Evergreen State recently legalized the personal use of marijuana and officials are hammering out the rules for governing how commercial growers will farm and sell the cannabis to be sold in-state.

Washington pot farmers will have plenty of unused stalks and other plant material left over after harvest and the folks at Ballard Biofuel in Seattle don't want all that potential energy to go to waste. They think they can make it into high-quality jet fuel.

The company already sells soy-based hydraulic oil and other biodegradable, plant-based lubricants and fuels for use in industrial machinery. Now it is working on securing cash backing to build a bio-plant that can convert the leftovers from what is expected to be a hefty, legal marijuana market into jet fuel.

More: 10 Innovative Green Hotels in the U.S.

"A lot of airlines would love to have renewable fuels in their jets," says Joseph Koniak, spokesperson for Ballard Biofuel. "And the potential customers we've talked to don't have a problem with marijuana waste being used as [raw material]. It's just making sure the quality is high enough for jet fuel."

After all, notes Koniak, if your put a bad batch of bio-diesel in your car and it breaks down, it can be a hassle. "But if you have a bad batch of biofuel on an airplane, it's going to be an emergency," he says. "So any alternative jet fuel has to be excellent."

Fuel is subject to erratic price changes and represents the largest piece of most airlines' budgets. And despite energy-saving improvements in the design of airplanes and airplane engines, commercial aviation burns gobs of conventional jet fuel and emits vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2).

To address some of those issues, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the aviation industry has voluntarily committed to achieving a 1.5 percent improvement in efficiency through 2020; carbon neutral growth starting in 2020; and a 50 percent reduction in net carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

"Biofuels are seen as crucial to achieving these targets," says IATA spokesperson Perry Flint. "And the industry is focused on sustainable, drop-in biofuels that do not compete with food crops for water or soil."

More: Green Travel: After Devastating Tornado, Kansas Town Re-emerges 'Like No Other Place In America'

To that end, the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) was established in 2006 and, since then, plants, woody biomass from forest products, algae, municipal waste, recycled vegetable cooking oil, animal fats and sugarcane have been considered or tested in aircraft in search of safe, alternative, sustainable biofuels.

Tests using blends of conventional jet fuel with alternative biofuels began in 2008 with a Virgin Atlantic Airways flight that used coconut and babassu palm oil. Since 2011, when the American Society for Testing Materials certified a few types of biofuels for use on commercial jets, there have been more than 1,500 flights on United, Alaska, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand and several other airlines using a mix of traditional and low-carbon alternative fuels.

The most recent demonstration is currently underway. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is operating a weekly flight between JFK International and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport using fuel obtained from used cooking oil.

"There is no silver bullet," says Flint. "Biofuels work. But for them to become a viable alternative to fossil fuels, production has to take place on an industrial scale, supplies have to be made widely available and costs have to drop."

For now, the process remains complicated and still quite expensive.

"These alternative fuels have to be specially made and the cost now is about six to eight times higher than [that of] conventional jet fuel," says Carol Sim, director of environmental affairs for Alaska Airlines. Even if an airline signed an order for a large amount of a specific jet fuel alternative today, Sim says, "a supplier would need time to ramp up production and would probably not be able to deliver a reliable supply for a few years."

That may be why "airlines continue to hesitate a little bit because there's still work being done to mature the technology and the supply chain," says CAAFI executive director Steve Csonka.

But the dedication is there and definitely moving forward.

"Passengers are increasingly interested in things they can do to reduce their impact on the environment. And travel is one of those thing they can influence," says Jimmy Samartzis, managing director of environmental affairs and sustainability for United Airlines.

"Passengers care. Our company and others care," says Samartzis. "We hope passengers recognize that and it makes them feel better not just about what we're doing with our aircraft but what we're creating for the future."

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Titanic Attractions: 5 Cool Cruise Ship Exhibits

Harriet Baskas — 2013-03-21T10:18:00+00:00

Filed under: Cruise

Whether you're a veteran of multiple trans-Atlantic crossings or have yet to set sail on your first weekend party cruise to the Bahamas, there's plenty to learn about the history of cruise ships and the culture of cruising. Don't worry if you're prone to seasickness. Only one of these cool cruise-themed museum exhibits is not on dry land.

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Guns at the Airport: TSA Catching Firearms at Record Pace

Harriet Baskas — 2013-01-16T16:57:00+00:00

Filed under: Air Travel

Firearms top the list of items passengers are prohibited from taking past airport security checkpoints and onto airplanes. Yet, during 2012 that didn't stop travelers from trying to get more than 1,500 handguns and other firearms past Transportation Security Administration officers at U.S. airports.

"It's definitely more than previous years," said David Castelveter, the TSA's director of external communications. He attributes the increased number of "catches" in part to "the continued vigilance of our officers and the higher volume of people traveling."

According to the TSA, last year 1,543 firearms -- 1,215 (78%) of them loaded - were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints at 199 of the nation's more than 450 commercial airports.

MORE: Guns in America: How Guns Affect Jobs, Money, Culture and Community in America

Most of the firearms discovered were handguns. One gun was found inside a hollowed out book at the Honolulu International Airport. A dissembled gun (and ammunition) was found hidden inside three stuffed animals at Providence T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island. And while some people certainly try to sneak guns past checkpoints, Castelveter says most travelers caught with firearms at airports claim they simply forgot they had the weapon with them.

"It perplexes us. But our role is to keep guns off airplanes to insure bad people don't try to do bad things to the American public," said Castelveter. So "no matter what the excuse," once a firearm is found in a carry-on bag "a passenger is turned over to local law enforcement, which determines whether or not to press charges," he said.

TOP FIVE AIRPORTS FOR GUN DISCOVERIES

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (where in 2008 officials tried - and failed - to have the entire airport declared a gun-free zone), transportation security officers (TSOs) reported finding 95 firearms in carry-on bags at checkpoints during the past year. That secured ATL, the country's busiest airport, the number one position on the 2012 list of "Top 5 Airports for Gun Discoveries" posted on the TSA's blog.

Other airports on the "Top 5" list include Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (80 firearms), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (54 firearms), Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (52 firearms) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (42 firearms found).

At ATL, anyone without the authority to travel with a firearm who attempts to take one through a checkpoint is arrested and charged with possession of a weapon in a secure location and taken to the county jail.

"I believe the majority of people simply made a mistake and forgot the gun was in their bag," said Major Lane Hagin, commander of the airport section of the Atlanta Police Department, "And I'd like to think nothing more nefarious is going on. But people try law enforcement every day to see where the holes are. So who knows?"

In Arizona, where residents 21 and older do not need a permit to carry a concealed weapon, no criminal charges were made in 2012 against any of the 54 travelers TSOs discovered with a firearm in a carry-on bag at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

As with many other airports, "the majority of our cases are folks who say they forgot they had a firearm in some sort of carry-on, pack or bag," said Sergeant Trent Crump, spokesman for the Phoenix police department. At PHX, when a TSO discovers a firearm, "what we really look at is culpability," said Crump. "Was the person hiding [the firearm] in some sort of compartment or some sort of container that looked like they were trying to get it through? Just because someone has [a firearm] doesn't mean it meets the element of a criminal offense" in Arizona.

For that reason, Crump said a firearm found at a checkpoint at Phoenix Sky Harbor is usually returned to its owner. And "if the owner has the ability to secure the weapon," i.e. place it in checked luggage, they can usually travel on a later flight.

GUNS AND AIRPORTS IN 2013

In response to the Newtown school shootings, President Barack Obama has put new gun control laws on the table, including a universal background check and an assault weapons ban. But Adam Winkler, a constitutional law professor at the UCLA School of Law and the author of "Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America," says he hasn't heard any new proposals for banning guns in the pre-security areas of airports.

"People are talking about more broad-based types of laws," said Winkler, "But if there was a mass shooting in a non-secure area of an airport, you'd hear it being discussed. It's clear TSA has the authority to issue broader security commands to airports that include the public areas and that Congress could ban guns in these areas."

In the meantime, TSA continues its efforts to keep firearms (and other prohibited items) from passing through airport checkpoints.

In the first two weeks of January 2013, 49 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at U.S. airport checkpoints, including one handgun at the Atlanta airport and two at Phoenix Sky Harbor. During the first two weeks of 2012, 38 firearms were spotted in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints.

-- Harriet Baskas reports on airports, air travel, museums and many other topics for a variety of outlets, including her blog, Stuck at The Airport.

[Photo: TSA]

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