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Palm oil-based jet fuel makes late debut in Indonesia
A consortium has started nine days of flight tests for an aviation fuel called Bioavtur J2.4, of which 2.4 percent is biofuel derived from palm oil.
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A CN 235-220 plane takes off for a fuel test in Bandung, West Java, on Sept. 9. One engine of the jet was powered by BioAvtur J2.4, an aviation fuel containing a small share of palm oil-based biofuel, while the other ran on regular fuel. (Courtesy of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry)
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consortium of Indonesian companies, regulators and one university has begun a series of tests on an aviation fuel containing a small share of biofuel derived from palm oil, responding to a government mandate on the increased domestic use of the commodity through biofuel blending.
The consortium started nine days of flight tests on Thursday for an aviation turbine fuel (avtur) dubbed Bioavtur J2.4, of which 2.4 percent is biofuel made from refined palm oil.
The first test was conducted using a CN 235-220 plane that flew 10,000 feet above West Java, according to several press statements.
Earlier in the week on Monday, the consortium completed a ground test with an aircraft at Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, West Java.
Aircraft Capt. Adi Budi Atmoko found that “the engine's response was normal, with no discernable difference to [regular jet] fuel".
State-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina produced the fuel using a catalyst developed by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), while state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) provided the aircraft and test site, and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry supervised the test.
“This test is hoped to support the use of vegetable oil-based fuels in the aerospace industry and improve energy security, especially in combining avtur with palm oil,” said PTDI commerce, technology and development director Gita Amperiawan.
