Airlines account for most of the pollution in the upper atmosphere of our planet, while you just sit back and enjoy the ride, someone needs to think more about this grave problem.
Air New Zealand has something in their eco-friendly store that has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the airline industry to zero. The airline has teamed up with Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation and Boeing to develop a technique that makes use of algae found in pond scum as an airline fuel.
The process has been developed by Aquaflow and involves harvesting of algae directly from any nutrient-rich setting ponds. The process can be deployed in many types of waste streams such as the ones created by transport, dairy, meat and paper industries. Algae has a unique capacity to absorb the nutrients available in settling ponds, this procedure also cleans up the water below and enables scientists to use algae rich in nutrients as fuel.
The process looks outstanding, but it may make use of algae from hundreds of acres of ponds just to power a single transcontinental flight, what if we run out of pond scum…?
Via: Inhabitat
