Economy
October 3, 2016
Virgin Atlantic and LanzaTech Turning Steel Mill Emissions into Jet Fuel
Written by Sandy Williams
Virgin Atlantic and LanzaTech are experimenting with a new jet fuel made from waste industrial gases from steel mills. Lanzanol, a low carbon ethanol fuel is derived via a fermentation process from carbon monoxide gases produced during steel manufacturing.
The alcohol-to-jet process was developed in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the financial backing of HSBC. The first 1500 gallons were produced in China at the RSB (Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials) certified Shougang demonstration facility. So far the testing has been promising and an initial analysis suggests the fuel will result in carbon savings of 65 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.
