London-based renewable fuel startup Clean Planet Energy (CPE) has launched a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from non-recyclable plastics. According to the company, its new kerosene/jet-A can be used as a direct drop-in fuel “fully miscible with conventional jet fuels and is fully compatible with existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure,” including equipment, pipelines, and tanks. Over its lifecycle, the fuel promises to reduce CO2 emissions by 75 percent compared to conventional fuel.
“We are very excited to have developed a [SAF] pathway that not only fits well within the ASTM D7566 existing definitions but uses ultra-low-cost, zero value waste plastic feedstock,” company CEO Bertie Stephens told AIN.
CPE has two production plants already under construction in the UK, the first of which is expected to begin production this year, and four others under development, each of which would be able to process up to 60 tonnes of plastic a day. Through a proprietary process, the plastic hydrocarbons are broken down into small chains, which are then upgraded into new products such as SAF and petrochemical feedstocks from which new recyclable plastics can be manufactured.
The company noted it has already introduced a certified, ultra-clean burning diesel fuel as well as a zero-sulfur-emitting maritime fuel as it reaches to power air-, land-, and water-based transport. SAF production would be a subset of those products.