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International cargo flight uses China-developed bio jet fuel
CGTN
A jar of used cooking oil placed next to a jar of the Sinopec-produced sustainable aviation fuel. /China Media Group
A jar of used cooking oil placed next to a jar of the Sinopec-produced sustainable aviation fuel. /China Media Group

A jar of used cooking oil placed next to a jar of the Sinopec-produced sustainable aviation fuel. /China Media Group

Aviation biofuel developed by China's Sinopec was used for an international cargo flight on Monday for the first time, the company said.

The flight took off from Hangzhou City in east China's Zhejiang Province and landed in Belgium after 12 hours in air.

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is produced from sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, animal fat or farming and forestry waste. 

Air bp, the aviation sector of British Petroleum, estimated that SAF can reduce up to 80 percent in carbon emissions over the lifecycle of the fuel compared to traditional jet fuel it replaces, depending on the sustainable feedstock used, production method and the supply chain to the airport. 

Sinopec began developing the fuel using cooking oil or "gut oil" since 2009 and gained airworthiness certificate for the fuel in 2014. It started to produce such aviation fuel at an industrial-scale facility in east China since June this year.

The fuel has already been adopted by China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Air China for domestic flights. 

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