Detail

Firefly Green Fuels has received a £2 million grant from the Department for Transport to develop environmentally friendly aviation fuel in 2021. Although it is not yet commercially available, the company says it is on track to bring the product to the global market. The first commercial facility will be operational within 5 years.

The company signed a partnership agreement with Wizz Air to supply fuel from 2028.

The company currently receives waste from waterworks in Great Britain. Treated wastewater is subjected to a hydrothermal liquefaction process that converts liquid waste into sludge or crude oil. Solid byproducts can also be converted into crop fertilizers.

As the manufacturer notes, it takes millions of years for organic matter to turn into the fossil fuel that powers cars and planes. Firefly solution lets you produce fuel in just a few days – and more importantly, human waste is a widely available resource.

Now It is unclear whether this type of aviation fuel will be more expensive or cheaper, more than we currently use because Firefly Green Fuels isn’t talking about it yet. However, CEO James Highgate said in a statement that using human waste was a “cheap and abundant raw material that will never run out”.

Achieving carbon neutrality in our airspace is a long-standing goal for regulators and leaders in Europe and the United States. Although electric vehicles have made great progress in the automotive industry, it may be a long time before we see battery-powered commercial aircraft. So for now, creating cleaner jet fuel is a big step forward.