Tuesday 29 August 2017

Rubbish flights on the way

 

No, not the state of low cost airlines. The UK is looking into powering planes with rubbish!

As part of plans to promote clean alternative fuels, the government is offering funding for projects to develop low carbon waste-based fuels for planes and lorries, with matching funding from industry.

Trials of sustainable jet fuel, made from waste materials, have taken place in Europe and North America. Now the Dept of Transport is launching a competition to encourage research into this sector.

Transport Minister Jesse Norman said: "We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new environmentally-friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal.

"We want every new car and van in the UK to be zero emission by 2040 but we know lorries and aeroplanes will rely on more traditional fuels for years to come so we must promote environmentally friendly alternatives."

The new fuels are chemically very similar to conventional fuels, so can be used in existing aircraft without the need for any engine modifications.

The department has already had interest from more than 70 groups in bidding for the funding. It says low carbon transport fuels made from waste materials could be worth £600 million a year to the British economy by 2030 and support up to 9,800 new jobs.