British Airways is planning to power its flights using garbage. The airline announced that it will use sustainable jet fuel from landfill waste, which is the the environmental equivalent of taking 150,000 cars off the road.
British Airways will be working with Solena Fuels in its commitment to purchase 50,000 tons of the sustainable landfill jet fuel each year after the conversion facility is complete in 2017, AFP reports.
The conversion facility will be built in Thurrock, Essex. Once complete, the facility will be abel to convert 575,000 tons of post-recycled waste into 120,000 tons of liquids fuels that can be used in jets and is burned cleanly. The waste typically stays in landfills or is incinerated and goes unused.
This announcement comes just before Earth Day which falls on April 22. Additionally, the aviation industry will be meeting in Geneva at the end of April for the 2014 Global Sustainable Aviation Summit.
Trying to make flying environmentally friendly has been a big challenge in the aviation industry as it has been difficult to make a mode of transportation that relies on fossil fuels environmentally friendly. However airlines have done their part by offering customers the option to buy carbon offsets to lessen the guilt of damaging the environment while flying.
Airlines are still on a mission to improve the greening of flying. British Airways, along with commercial carriers like United, KLM and Virgin Atlantic are currently exploring the potential of biofuels in future flights.
For instance, United Airline signed a deal last summer to buy 15 million gallons of lower-carbon, renewable jet fuel over three years with AltAir Fuels. United was also the first North American carrier to fly a plane that was powered by biofuels made with algae in 2009.
Dutch carrier KLM also uses also uses biofuels for its commercial flights. The first airline to operate a flight with biofuel was Virgin Atlantic in 2008.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
