Today in TechVirgin Atlantic promises to help develop eco-friendly jet fuel
While most eco-minded individuals focus largely on the issues created by automotive fossil fuels, the thousands of pounds of jet fuel burned in just a single long-distance flight are largely ignored. Lucky for us, entrepreneur Richard Branson has been keeping an eye on his airline's carbon footprint, and plans to do something about it. The wealthy businessman made a pact with LanzaTech of New Zealand to ensure that Virgin Atlantic will soon have a more nature-friendly energy solution to power its planes.
In the formal announcement, Branson acknowledged the depletion of our planet's fossil fuels, and then outlined the plan to get a greener fuel solution airborne within the next 18 months. The key to creating low-carbon jet fuel actually lies in recycling the gas byproducts of steel making — a harmful pollutant that would normally wreak havoc in the atmosphere. After capturing these chemicals, a process developed by a company called Swedish Biofuels can convert it into jet fuel.
Branson's company is targeting India as a test bed, as the country is one of the top steel producers in the world. By eliminating some of the byproducts of steel production and then using them to more efficiently fuel airplanes, the plan is green in more ways than one. A demonstration will show off the new technology in China this year, and full commercial-level production is expected to follow by 2014.
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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