Airline Uses Food Waste to Get Passengers from A to B

Of all the ways to get from A to B, aeroplanes are renowned as the fastest. Yet despite their ability to whisk passengers across time zones in a matter of hours, the industry spews out a huge amount of greenhouse gas. In a bid to slash its carbon footprint and adopt more environmentally friendly policies United Airlines has come up with an innovative idea that will see it use food waste and animal fats to power its planes. The cutting edge technology is currently in its final stages of development and could take to the skies as early as this summer!

The New York Times has reported that the sustainable fuel could slash the airline’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%. For United Airlines this will represent a competitive eco-friendly edge.

Investing in the planet

Fulcrum BioFuels is the company behind the product which blends food waste, scraps and animal fats to create fuel. The concept was inspired by the fact that every year, the average US family bins almost half a tonne of food. Rather than see it go to waste Fulcrum BioFuels plans to use six brand new refineries to convert it into useable energy. Earlier this month United Airlines revealed that it would invest US$30 million in the development of the fuel. It followed in the footsteps of Cathay Pacific which also pledged a smaller investment last year. The debut flight will ferry passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco, powered by a blend of 30% food waste and 70% conventional jet fuel.  If all goes well United Airlines has confirmed that it will roll out the fuel to its other routes.

Eco-savvy governments

While United Airlines would prefer to take all the credit for its eco-friendly endeavour, the move comes in the wake of recent propositions from the Obama administration that will limit aviation emissions. United Nations agency International Civil Aviation Organisation, also has its own negotiations in the work that will limit carbon pollution in February 2016.

“There is a significant role for biofuels within the aviation sector, specifically for reducing carbon emissions,” explains Debbie Hammel, a senior resource specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Fuel concerns are on the rise and are getting stricter by the year. ‘Next Generation Derived Cetane Analysis: High Precision Enables Refineries to Operate Close to Specifications and Increase Profitability’ offers readers an overview of new regulations designed to slash emissions, increase fuel efficiency and pinpoint optimal combustion points in vehicles.