The Secret To Jet Fuel Savings? Rake Harder!

The study will look to see if forest floor debris could be used to make biofuels. In making the investment, Delta is teaming with Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels, a company based in the Northwest that studies biofuels!finally a company that's well named! The idea is to collect the kinds of things off the forest floor that are a major player in fueling forest fires. In a press release, Delta claimed that such fuel production could account for as much as 10% of its fuel used in the West Coast region.

Delta's long-term goal is to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050. The airline claims to have cut its jet fuel use enough to come up with an 11% reduction in emissions. The airline didn't state the way it achieved that fuel usage reduction, but we're guessing it's the same way other airlines have---by using more efficient turbofan engines, a move that isn't done to save the environment, but to save something even more precious to the airlines---money.