An Indian-origin U.S. scientist has developed a plant-based jet fuel from mustard plants to replace aviation jet fuel. Find out it can reduce carbon emissions and save the environment.

What Is Jet Fuel?

Aviation turbine fluid AKA jet fuel is used for running planes and every other aircraft in the world. Airplanes contribute to 12% of the world’s carbon emissions and airports contribute to around 2 % carbon emissions. The U.S. aviation industry is responsible for 2.5% of the world’s COs emissions and for 3.5% of the world’s global warming. 

What Is Jet Fuel Made Of?

Jet fuel is a combination of naphtha, gasoline, or kerosene. These fossil fuels are blended and refined based on specific aircraft varieties.  Kerosene is the globally used type of jet fuel given the ease of availability and cost.

Plant-Based Jet Fuel

The worsening climate shifts have become hazardous with the exhaustion of valuable resources and making land unsuitable to sustain life forms. The UN has decided to take a serious stand on carbon emission and the search for an alternative sustainable aviation fluid (SAF) or a greener replacement for fossil fuels has become the need of the hour.

Mustard-Based Fuel

While most plant-based fuels have disappointed prospective buyers in terms of cost, the new mustard-based fuel has emerged successful. Research published in the GCB Bioenergy has shown that jet fuel made from this crop could break even the life cycle of carbon emitters drastically.

The fuel obtained from the non-edible oils seed plant named Brassica carinata is veiled at USD 0.12-1.28 per liter while the usual SAF or normal petroleum is valued at 0.50 times more inclusive of the economic incentives available on the said purchase.

Southeast Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata or SPARC initiated the 15 Million dollar project funded by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Diwedi, a scientist in the project worked on Carinata for the past 4 years investigating the optimum combination and genetical requirements of the plant to produce a nice yield. 

The current obstacle in bringing this plan into motion is the lack of equipment that is capable of crushing the seeds and processing raw oil into SAF.

Reduce Carbon Emissions

The COP26 (26th Conference of Parties) is a global initiative hosted by the UN to monitor and control several human activities that can damage the environment. The present goal of this conference is to reduce the carbon footprint on the earth.  

Shifting to renewable energy sources and reducing the consumption of fossil fuels is the primary step to reducing carbon emissions. Thus, Diwedi is currently focusing on the economic and environmental befits of growing carinata in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida from a supply-chain perspective.

 

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Ashley completed her degree with nutrition as her major. She loves sharing her knowledge with others and playing with words. After struggling for almost a year to find a job that could make her feel lively, she ended up as a freelance writer. Ashley writes health-related blogs and articles. She makes sure that her works always stand unique and are useful for everyone. Ashley is also a YouTuber who shares health-related videos. She knows the value of the right information and how it can be beneficial to others. Therefore, her only motto is to provide accurate information. If Ashley sounds like that neighbor who you can ask for health tips, take a look at her works.