First commercial flight partly fuelled by recycled waste lands in UK

The first commercial flight to use jet fuel partly made from recycled industrial waste has landed at Gatwick. The Virgin Atlantic plane, travelling from Orlando to London, was powered by a new blend of normal jet fuel and ethanol produced from waste gases, which the airline says could significantly lower aviation’s carbon footprint. The flight’s fuel blend was 5% recycled, but the sustainable element could eventually form up to 50%. It was produced in the US by LanzaTech, which claims it could eventually supply about 20% of the aviation industry’s fuel, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65% compared with conventional petroleum. Virgin is bidding for government support to have plants built in the UK that could fuel all its operations. Welcoming the Boeing 747 on arrival was Sir Richard Branson, the airline’s founder, who said the flight was a huge step forward in making the fuel a mainstream reality. “Working with LanzaTech will enable us to greatly reduce our carbon emissions and, at the same time, help support UK industry,” he said. “This fuel takes waste, carbon-rich gases from industrial factories and gives them a second life so that new fossil fuels don’t have to be taken out […]

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