Jet fuel to be made from human ‘poo’ in a historic first

Biofuel company Firefly have announced that they will build a world’s first commercial factory to make jet fuel from human faeces in Essex.

Firefly will make sustainable aviation fuel (Saf) at a factory in Harwich and will produce the fuel for aircraft by 2028.

Firefly have made an agreement with Wizz Air to produce 525,000 tonnes of Saf over the next fifteen years and Anglian Water will provide biosolids for an initial pilot.

The biofuel will have a maximum bland of 50% with Kerosene and will use 70% less carbon than normal jet fuel.

Firefly chief executive James Hygate said, “We’re turning sewage into jet fuel. I can’t really think of many things that are cooler than that.”

Paul Hilditch, the company’s chief operating officer, said, “There’s enough biosolids in the UK for more than 200,000 tonnes of Saf.

“That’s enough to satisfy about half of the mandated Saf demand in 2030.

“We’re not the only answer – we need the other routes to Saf – but this new route to Saf has the potential to move the needle, it has the potential to be a significant contribution to UK Saf supply.

“And not just the UK of course. Anywhere in the world where there are people, there’s poo.”

Yvonne Moynihan, corporate and ESG (environmental, social and governance) officer at Wizz Air, said: “Wizz Air celebrates two decades of transformation this year, transitioning from a small airline into a global leader of sustainable aviation and affordable travel.

“Alongside fleet renewal and operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuel plays a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions from aviation.

“Our investment in Firefly, which has the potential to reduce our lifecycle emissions by 100,000 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year, underscores our commitment to mainstream the use of Saf in our operations by 2030.

“However, achieving our aspiration requires a significant ramp-up of Saf production and deployment.

“Therefore, we call on policymakers to address barriers to Saf deployment at scale by incentivising production, providing price support, and embracing additional sustainable feedstocks for biofuel production.”