Interrupting methane generation with fermenters that transform carbon energy from food waste and other organic "wet waste" into volatile fatty acids (VFA) we can get jet fuel .
Using a catalyst to add more carbon to AGV molecules, a new study suggests how to build long chains of energy-rich paraffin hydrocarbons that are essentially chemically identical to conventional jet fuel, except with a fraction of the carbon footprint. .
New biorefining process
The new technology is featured in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the University of Dayton, Yale University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
As NREL researcher Derek Vardon , study author, explains:
If our refining pathway expands, it could take as little as a year or two for airlines like Southwest to get the fuel regulatory approvals they need to start using sustainable wet waste aviation fuel on commercial flights does not mean that net flights with Zero carbon emissions are on the horizon sooner than some might have thought.
This new biorefining process harnesses food and other wastes to produce sustainable aviation fuel compatible with jet engines and capable of supporting zero-carbon flights, which means that the greenhouse gas emissions created by the combustion of jet fuel they are reduced to zero by emissions removed or diverted from the atmosphere when producing the fuel.
Additionally, eliminating food waste as a source of methane can be a very effective way to reduce emissions from landfills .