It is never too late to save the Earth. At least that’s another way to look at it.

British billionaire, Sir Richard Branson plans to undertake a $400M project in Virgin Fuels to produce environment friendly Ethanol fuel in United States. Sir Branson plans to test a Boeing 747, without passengers, on a renewable fuel that they developed earlier this year. Virgin head Branson collaborates with Boeing Company and engine-maker General Electric Aviation to come up with the eco friendly ethanol biofuel.

Problems arose that Ethanol is the most common biofuel, made from corn in the US and sugarcane in Brazil, but Ethanol freezes at an altitude of 15,000 and is corrosive in nature. While Butanol, a similar but less corrosive fuel made from biomass could also become successful in aviation.

On the other hand, NASA scientist Dennis Bushnell is confident that commercial aircrafts could be powered using Halophyte, a biofuel that is derived from saltwater plants. Bushnell said that aside from using it as a bio fuel, it can be also used by existing infrastructure used by the oil companies and can be available sooner than hydrogen. However, it will take time to cultivate and harvest these desert-grown, salt water plants.

Either way, hopefully before the year ends and the next decade comes; eco friendly biofuel produced by the aviation giants will be available not only for aircrafts but cars, buses and trains as well.