Branson Wants to Fuel Planes with Ethanol

Sir Richard Branson of Virgin fame isn't someone to let people say he can't do something, but his latest plan to power Virgin Atlantic planes on cellulosic ethanol has environmentalists playing nay-sayers:

...the move surprised environmental campaigners, who said studies had shown ethanol was unsuitable as aircraft fuel, and no viable alternatives were on the horizon....

Richard Dyer, a campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said research had concluded that nothing would replace kerosene for several decades.

So, those of you who understand such things: what do you think? Is Branson onto something revolutionary, or is this just a pipe dream?

Categories: branson, virgin, airplane, fuel, ethanol, UK