A plane fueled by cooking oil makes its maiden flight from London to New York

Arabia Weather - In a striking development, you can change your perspective and behavior about getting rid of used cooking oil completely, as this material that you may consider useless may be of great value in the near future, but it has nothing to do with the kitchen.

In a pioneering move, a long-haul commercial jet has flown across the Atlantic Ocean from London to New York using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel, consisting primarily of used cooking oil and plant products.

The flight carried only Virgin founder, billionaire Richard Branson, and a small number of passengers. The plane is scheduled to return to London using conventional jet fuel.

A plane fueled by cooking oil

Esters and fatty acids, obtained after processing used cooking oil, make up 88 percent of the aircraft fuel used on this flight.

It is noted that the use of this fuel does not require special engines or any modifications to the airframe, making it a sustainable and cost-effective technology for air transportation.

Despite the great appeal of the idea, the cost of producing sustainable fuel remains a major obstacle that makes producing companies re-evaluate their guidelines.

Currently, sustainable fuel is produced in small quantities, costing 3 to 5 times the cost of conventional jet fuel. Accordingly, the British government does not prefer to use this type of fuel to operate aircraft at the present time.

“This is not a zero-emissions flight, but it certainly demonstrates that we have tremendous tools and opportunities to significantly reduce carbon,” said Holly Boyd Boland, vice president of corporate development at British airline Virgin Atlantic.

Professor Graham Hutchings from Cardiff University explained: “This Virgin journey is a good thing, but we need to be very clear about the strengths, limitations and challenges that need to be addressed and overcome if we are to scale up those new technologies that will be needed within a few decades.”

Airlines expect sustainable fuels to play a major role in reducing net emissions, with up to a 70 percent reduction compared to conventional fuels possible. This comes as part of the industry's efforts to reduce dependence on carbon components, with a focus on developing new options based on electricity and hydrogen.

It is noteworthy that the commercial aviation sector currently contributes about 3 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

Sustainable fuel

Airlines rely on fuel made from waste to reduce their emissions by up to 70%.

Although this fuel is of great environmental importance, the high cost and scarcity of materials needed to make it make it difficult to produce on a large scale. Sustainable fuel currently represents less than 0.1% of all aviation fuel worldwide. The historic flight of the Boeing 787, which used 100% sustainable fuel, is an important step towards improving sustainability in the aviation industry.

Sources:

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