Amazon nuts stole the spotlight from ethanol biofuels on Sunday, when the first-ever commerical flight to use renewable made its way from London to Amersterdam, partially fuelled by nuts from the rainforest.

One of the fuel tanks of a jumbo Virgin Atlantic jet used a mixture of coconut oil and babassu oil, and Virgin head honcho Richard Branson said he that though this is an important development, he does not believe the combination will be the long-term answer to biofuels used in air travel.

"Today marks a vital breakthrough for the whole airline industry," Branson told reporters in a hangar at Heathrow airport prior to the flight's departure. "We did not want to use biofuels such as corn oil which were competing with staple food sources," he said, adding he believed algae produced in places like sewage treatment farms were the most likely future source of renewable fuel for the airline industry.

Friends of the Earth, an environmental group, contends that biofuels are not the answer to cutting carbon emissions and therefore less emphasis should be placed on them.

Friends of the Earth said in a statement: "There is mounting evidence the carbon savings from these crop-based fuels will be small at best. Even if every plane leaving the UK was able to run on biofuels from tomorrow, any carbon savings would be wiped out in less than 10 years by the rapid growth of the aviation industry."

The great biofuel debate is unlikely to reach a conclusion anytime soon. Despite wreaking havoc on the rainforests and playing a part in the rise in food prices, it seems they are still seen as a viable alternative to conventional fuel, but who knows for how long? Stay tuned.

» Reuters Environment