UK launches bid to transform trash into jet fuel

LONDON — Planes using fuels made from trash sent to landfill dump sites could take off from British airports under a new government scheme announced at the weekend.

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 freight trucks, with matching funding from industry.

“The government is already planning to revolutionize the motor industry with ultralow emission electric cars, and now we are going further and investing in a new generation of fuels which will power our aircraft and lorries,” said a spokesperson for the Department for Transport.

“Trials of sustainable jet fuel, made from waste materials, have taken place in Europe and North America, and now the launch of a UK competition will see British experts conduct pioneering research in this sector,” the spokesperson added.

The DfT says it has already had interest from more than 70 groups in bidding for the funding.

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 DfT says low-carbon transport fuels made from waste materials could be worth $775 million a year to the British economy by 2030, and could also support up to 9,800 new jobs.

Jesse Norman, parliamentary undersecretary of state for roads, local transport and devolution, said on Sunday: “We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new environmentally-friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal. We are making funding available to innovative businesses which will lead the way in developing alternative fuels that are efficient, sustainable and clean.”

A $29 million fund could help Britain deliver up to five new low carbon fuel plants by 2021, said the DfT. The money will be made available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels, to be used in planes and lorries where it is not viable today to switch to electric power, because of the large weight of the vehicles.

The “future fuels for flight and freight” competition is part of the British government’s “modern industrial strategy”, which sets out to support evolving industries with the potential to boost the economy.

Government experts say biofuels made from waste products could be even more sustainable than current cropbased biofuels, already used in some road-based vehicles.