Virgin Atlantic believes the aviation industry has taken a landmark step towards making commercially-viable sustainable aviation fuel a reality, thanks to the airline’s world first flight with LanzaTech.
The first batch of LanzaTech jet fuel was used on a commercial flight for the very first time – Virgin Atlantic’s VS16 flight from Orlando to London Gatwick, operated by a Boeing 747.
LanzaTech produces next generation ‘advanced’ fuels by recycling waste industrial gases like those produced from steel making and other heavy industrial processes.
LanzaTech takes these waste, carbon-rich gases to first make ethanol.
The ethanol can be used for a range of low carbon products, including jet fuel.
The innovative alcohol-to-jet process used to make the fuel in this flight was developed in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Lab and the US Department of Energy.