Afterwards the " coconut jumbo ", New Zealand will soon make one steal " jatropha jumbo ". The main airline of the country, Air New Zealand, indeed announced its intention of driving a test flight of Boeing 747 fed by a fuel drawn of the seed of jatropha. A plant which makes the object of deep researches, notably in China, for its capacity to be given with some fuel in a lasting way, with a limited ecological impact.

In February, the Virgin Airways company of the British multimillionaire Richard Branson had made steal one 747 jumbo with an agricultural fuel drawn of the nut of palm. Where from nickname of " cocunut jumbo " joined with experience by the detractors of agrocarburants. In front of the fire of critics, Branson had informed that the next try would lean on a fuel drawn of seaweeds oleaginous, considered as less harmful to environment.

Contrary to the palm, expansion of which — principally for culinary reasons causes a massive deforestation in Asia, the jatropha is a bush with which seeds give an oil big quantity, and that grows even in arid regions, with a very good output. Its culture requests only few manures and water, and plantations can produce quarantine years before being torn off. Besides, he does not enter competition with cultures food vocation and his price would already be competitive with the kerosene.

According to the calculations of the representatives for Air New Zealand, it would “ enough " to plant a million hectares of jatropha to give all fuel which the company, the 32nd worldwide, needs. In the meantime the company will drive a test flight from two hours till next August, in the course of which one of four reactors of one 747-400 will be fed with derivative of the jatropha. Necessary precision: the plane can, in case of problem, fly with only three of its four reactors …

Picture: © Denis Delbecq - on 2008