A Boeing 737 airplane, operated by Continental Airlines, was the first North American commercial airplane to test a flight on biofuel.  JetBlue Airways also has made plans to test a wide variety of feedstocks including jatropha, algae, corn stover, and organic waste streams by Spring of 2010. 

During the January 7th, 2009 test flight by North American, there were no passengers and the plane was powered by a blend of 50 percent jet fuel and 50 percent components derived from algae and from jatropha plants.  Biofuel is produced from plant matter instead of petroleum or other fossil fuels.  In order to be considered biofuel, the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials.  These fuel sources are said to not impact food crops or water resources and don't contribute to deforestation.

During the two hour flight, Continental test pilots did numerous flight maneuvers such as mid-flight engine shutdown and re-start, and power accelerations and decelerations to test out the fuel blend.  The 50-50 blended fuels result in a significant decrease in carbon emissions versus traditional jet fuel, as both jatropha and algae consume carbon during their lifecycles. The biofuel requires no modifications to the aircraft or engine for the airplane to operate.

While widespread use of biofuel blends is still years away, there is excitement about the research and data reported thus far.  Algae can be grown just about anywhere, as it flourishes in salt water, fresh water and brackish water.  The algae based biofuels emit considerably less smoke into the atmosphere and are a renewable resource, which could help decrease our dependancy on foreign oils in the future.