UK Embarks On Plans To Turn Household Trash To Jet Fuel For ‘Guilt-Free Flying’

Household garbage or waste gases from steel factories could soon be turned into jet fuel for “guilt-free flying,” as the UK government has recently pumped £165 million (US$198 million) into sustainable air fuel (SAF) solutions.

The hefty sum was awarded to five projects, which will explore a variety of methods to create SAF in a bit to reduce carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes annually—the equivalent of removing 100,000 cars from the roads. 

In total, the five entities will produce an estimated 300,000 tonnes of SAF per year, which the government says will be enough power to “fly to the moon and back about 60 times,” or over 14 million miles. 

According to the BBC, one of the projects will be based at Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, where waste gases will be extracted and transformed into fuel. Another will create SAF using carbon captured from a gas-fired power station and hydrogen from a renewable electricity plant.

Factories in Teesside, Immingham, and Ellesmere Port will take on the task of converting domestic and commercial waste into fuel. Not only are these projects expected to make flying more eco-friendly, but they are also touted to create thousands of green jobs across the UK. 

Transport Secretary Mark Harper says that while the project to turn waste or by-products into fuel “sounds like a flight of fancy,” it actually is going to help “make guilt-free flying a reality” in the near future. 

[via BBC and Airways Magazine, cover image via Riderofthestorm | Dreamstime.com]