Commercial jets could fly safely with a blend of jet fuel that includes a plant oil, NASA researchers said Thursday.NASA is one of several government agencies examining the use of renewable biofuels to reduce dependency on foreign oil while reducing carbon emissions.

NASA researchers said Thursday that test flights conducted in California have shown a commercial jet could fly safely with a blend of jet fuel that includes a plantoil.

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Scientists at NASA's Langley Research center in Hampton said there was no noticeable difference in the engine performance of a DC-8 aircraft flying as high as 39,000 feet on the biofuel mix made from the camelina plantoil. The researchers also said that under certain conditions the biofuel mix produced 30 percent fewer emissions than traditional aviation fuel.

"In terms of these fuels being acceptable for use in commercial aircraft, they're quite acceptable, but we're still digging into the data," said Bruce Anderson, a senior research scientist at Langley who worked on the project.

NASA is one of several government agencies examining the use of renewable biofuels to reduce dependency on foreignoilwhile reducing carbon emissions. Military officials are also pursuing the use of biofuels, with the Navy hoping to deploy a 'Great Green Fleet' of ships and aircraft run entirely on alternative fuels in 2016.

Camelina, an oilseed crop that is native to northeastern Europe, can be cultivated in the U.S. and is considered well-suited to arid Northern Plains states because it needs little water and can handle low temperatures.

The research was conducted as a collaboration between Langley, Dryden and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The biofuel mix tested by the experts allows a plan to be fueled just like any other aircraft, researchers said.

But Anderson noted one catch: camelinaoilis currently more expensive at about $18 a gallon, compared to about $4 a gallon for traditional jet fuel.

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Green flights? NASA explores biofuel use in planes.