Firefly Green Fuels, a UK-based startup, created a unique type of jet fuel produced entirely of human waste, transforming sewage into fossil-free fuel.
The company cooperated with Cranfield University scientists to confirm that the fuel they developed has a 90% smaller carbon footprint than standard aviation fuel. Independent regulators verified its similarity to normal A1 jet gasoline.
The Department of Transport awarded Firefly Green Fuels a £2 million grant in 2021 to help them improve their sustainable aviation fuel. While not yet commercially available, the company intends to bring its fuel to the worldwide market, with the first commercial plant projected to be operational within five years. Firefly Green Fuels has already announced a partnership with discount airline Wizz Air to deliver fuel beginning in 2028.
This company collects garbage from UK water companies and subjects it to hydrothermal liquefaction, a method that converts liquid waste into sludge or crude oil. Solid byproducts are recycled as crop fertilizer. The company claims a low carbon intensity of 7.97 grams of CO² per megajoule for the entire process, significantly lower than the carbon intensity of traditional jet fuel, which ranges from 85 to 95 gCO²e/MJ, according to the ICCT.
Firefly Green Fuels' innovative approach tackles the critical need to reduce carbon emissions in aviation. The company points out the quantity and cost-effectiveness of human waste as a feedstock that will not run out over time. While it is uncertain whether sustainable jet fuel would cost more or less than existing options, the use of human waste is a major move forward in developing an ecologically friendly alternative for the aviation industry. Achieving carbon neutrality in air travel has been a long-term objective, and new solutions like those developed by Firefly Green Fuels help to make aviation more sustainable as we await the future arrival of battery-powered commercial jets.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
