Thread by @nowthisnews

If the aviation sector was a country, it would be the 6th largest emitter of CO2 in the world, according to 2018 rankings. To reduce the impact of air travel, researchers have found a way to turn low-cost wastes into jet fuel.

Wet waste, including food waste and animal manure, has the energy potential to displace more than 20% of U.S. jet fuel consumption.

In a recently published study, researchers outlined how they transformed it into a sustainable aviation fuel capable of supporting net-zero carbon flight.

The new study, which was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of Dayton, Yale University, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, reports that this new fuel could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 165% compared to conventional jet fuel.

This number includes the reduction of an airplane's CO2 emissions, plus the avoided methane emissions from food waste decomposing in landfills.

Currently, most wet waste used for energy is turned into methane gas because of its complexity and high moisture content.

The researchers' method instead produces volatile fatty acids, which can be upgraded to sustainable aviation fuels and mixed with fossil fuels. Aviation companies, including Southwest Airlines, are collaborating with NREL to demonstrate the fuel's application.

Sustainable aviation fuels could play a major role in reducing airline emissions. The global jet fuel market is currently at 106 billion gallons and is expected to grow to more than 2,030 billion gallons by 2050.

At the same time, major airline companies have pledged to cut their net CO2 emissions in half by 2050, relative to 2005 levels.