Airbus and Sinopec to produce biomass jet fuel

European aircraft maker Airbus and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Ltd or Sinopec are jointly developing a new aviation fuel made from biomass.

The partners said the new renewable fuel will be first used in China. Sinopec is to develop the fuel with its own technology at a plant recently built in Hangzhou, near Shanghai.

"The refinery is one of the few in the world that has the capacity to produce aviation fuel from biomass in large-scale," Airbus said.

The company did not say when output would begin, but sources said it could take about a year. The partners are in the process of selecting the raw material for the biomass. This raw material will come 100% from China and will be sustainable. Among the raw materials being considered is agricultural waste such as straw.

Sinopec will assist the central government establish a Chinese airworthiness certification for alternative aviation fuels made from locally grown feedstocks.