Food waste could be instrumental in producing sustainable aviation fuel, according to a recent study. Greenhouse gases from the aviation industry contribute 12% of transportation emissions and are bound to continue growing. It is projected that the industry’s emissions will double pre-pandemic levels by 2050. As such, researchers are working on finding viable biofuels for net-carbon-zero air travel. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , was conducted by scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the University of Dayton, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Yale University. According to the study, using untapped energy in food waste to generate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will provide an avenue to deal with two types of pollution at the same time. Plenty of food waste ends up in landfills, where it generates methane gas, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases. The researchers found that this biofuel has a 165% decrease in net carbon emissions compared to standard fuel. “Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) comprise a significant portion of the aviation sector’s strategy for CO 2 reductions given the limited near-term prospects for electrification,” the authors wrote. “In addition, the low aromatic content of current […]
Turning food waste into aviation fuel could greatly reduce emissions
