How your plane could soon be powered by poo
BRITS could be boarding planes powered by their very own poo in just a few years’ time.
A scientist has revealed how fertilisers could power planes by 2030.
In recent years, the aviation industry has been researching ways to make air travel more eco-friendly.
While many travel experts and scientists have hailed hydrogen as a greener fuel option, one scientist believes fertiliser may be the hold the answer.
Bill David, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford, recently shared his findings.
He explained that ammonia, a gas found in fertiliser, could sustainably power planes by the end of the decade.
He told the Daily Mail: “In principle, we can retrofit an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 787 and only touch the wing to essentially substitute ammonia for jet fuel.
“If you do the sums, then at 500 miles an hour you get the same flame speed as jet fuel and the same amount of power – but just 40 per cent of the range.”
Even with the range hit, a 787 aircraft would still be able to fly from London to New York.
He added: “I think we’ll see the first one of these actually up in the air by 2030.”
While an ammonia-based plane s currently in development, there are concerns with this green fuel choice.
A report on Net Zero Aviation, which was released by the Royal Society, warned that sustainable alternatives to jet fuel would require the UK to give up half of its agricultural land.
As scientists in the aviation industry attempt to develop sustainable fuel options, airlines have started introducing their own schemes to help Brits travel green.
Last year, British Airways unveiled a scheme in which customers are given the opportunity to buy carbon renewal credits in a bid to help flyers tackle their carbon emissions.
While the flight operator already offsets carbon emissions from all of its flights within the UK, the scheme puts customers back in the driving seat, or cockpit.
The CO2llaborate climate platform helps users understand and calculate their flight emissions.
Meanwhile, a study of 2,000 adults found a third want to be more environmentally and socially conscious on their travels, but this rises to 41 per cent for 18–24-year-olds.
Research commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts also revealed that of all the adults polled, half care more about doing their bit for the planet while travelling today than they did 10 years ago.
And four in five feel it’s important to get to know the local community when visiting somewhere new.