Researchers at the University of Sydney said they have developed a chemical process that could produce sustainable aviation fuel from gases emitted from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Council of the City of Sydney

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Australian scientists at the University of Sydney have developed a groundbreaking chemical process that could significantly impact the aviation industry's approach to sustainability. This innovative method has the potential to convert gases emitted from landfills, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into sustainable aviation fuel. This advancement is seen as a crucial step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the aviation industry's net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Professor P.J. Cullen, a chemical engineering expert at the University, leads the project. He explained that the process involves using plasma to transform greenhouse gases into fuel. This approach not only aims to capture harmful emissions from landfills but also addresses the urgent need for new technologies to enhance sustainability in the aviation sector. Aviation is responsible for around three percent of global emissions, highlighting the necessity for sustainable solutions to reach net-zero goals.

Sustainable aviation fuel is currently much more expensive than conventional jet fuel, costing up to five times more. However, Professor Cullen is optimistic that the new plasma-based chemical process could reduce production costs. By utilizing cheap or potentially free electricity to convert emissions into valuable chemicals, this method also contributes to addressing the methane issue. Methane emissions have been a significant driver of global temperature increases since the industrial revolution.

Richard Kirkman, CEO of Veolia for Australia and New Zealand, emphasized the substantial impact of converting waste into energy. He noted that converting all household waste, bio-waste, and sludges from water treatment could potentially supplement about 10 percent of Australia's energy supply. This could be a significant step in mitigating climate change, considering that a single site can produce two million cubes of methane annually, which is enough to fill 500,000 barbecue gas bottles.

The project team acknowledges that scaling the process and integrating it into existing workflows remain challenges. Nonetheless, the method's consistency and the ability to model annual gas production from landfills provide a solid foundation for future development. This innovation highlights a promising path towards sustainability in aviation and broader efforts to combat climate change.



Australian scientists making jet fuel from landfill gas

What if the carbon dioxide and methane that this landfill emits could power an airplane and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time? Australian researchers say they've come up with a way to do just that. And it could help the aviation industry meet its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. I think the impact is very significant because unusually you have a win-win approach here. This is P.J. Cullen, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Sydney. He says he's developed a method that takes greenhouse gases, like CO2 and methane, and converts them into fuel through a chemical process using plasma. In one sense, we have this idea that we're going to be capturing emissions that are coming from landfill. On the other, we have a sector that really needs a new technology in order to become more sustainable. The aviation industry accounts for approximately three percent of the world's emissions, so clearly you cannot get to net zero without producing some sustainable solutions. Sustainable aviation fuel is typically five times more expensive than traditional jet fuel. Cullen is hoping that will change with the new process. We're able to take cheap or maybe even free electricity, do a conversion process and produce useful chemicals. Meanwhile, the methane being used in the process also helps solve another key issue in sustainability. Methane emissions from human activities have driven about a third of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution. Richard Kirkman is the CEO of waste management company Veolia for Australia and New Zealand. All the household waste, all the bio-waste, all the sludges from water treatment, and you convert it into energy, that could supplement about 10 percent of Australia's energy supply. That's a massive amount in terms of mitigating climate change. This site produces two million cubes of methane every year, and that's enough to make 500,000 barbecue gas bottles. That's a lot of sausage. He thinks all of Australia's waste could one day be converted into energy. Cullen says the new method still needs to be scaled and incorporated into established workflows. What's good about the process is actually it's very consistent, so we can model how much gas will be coming off of these landfills per year.

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