Firefly Green Fuels, a UK company based in Gloucestershire, engaged in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), is planning something radical in aviation—converting (human) waste into jet fuel.
Studies have shown that emissions of combustion products of Jet A-1 or jet fuel used for commercial aviation contribute to climate change and hence, researches have been taking place to find ways to reduce the climate impact caused by the sector.
SAF seems to be the alternative, as according to Firefly Green Fuels, the carbon emissions caused by the fuel produced from sewage would be more than 90 per cent lower than standard fossil jet fuel.
The company takes processed sewage from water companies, and through a process called hydrothermal liquefaction, separates the sewage sludge into crude oil and a powder.
"The crude oil can be processed into sustainable aviation fuel, using Firefly’s proprietary process," according to the company.
While SAF burns like normal jet fuel and produces the same quantity of emissions, it helps in reducing the carbon footprint during its production. "Fossil fuels, such as oil, take millions of years to be produced. However, our process is completed in days. Plants growing today can be eaten tomorrow and then end up as sewage shortly after. We convert this waste carbon into fuel, while plants regrow and go back to absorbing carbon. At the same time, global pollution from the disposal of sewage sludge to land is reduced, reducing the negative effects on biodiversity,” the company states.
Laboratories in the UK, EU and United States have tested the fuel by Firefly and found that it is "encouragingly similar to fossil jet." “The composition of our fuel is very similar to A1 fossil jet fuel. We are confident we can power airliners with this fuel and contribute to the transformation for aviation,” the company claims on its website.
CEO of Firefly James Hygate told CNN that sewage hasn't been used more productively. “There’s loads of it, it’s everywhere in the world and there’s not really any good use for it at the moment which makes a very low-value material,” CNN quoted him as saying.