This article was originally published on our sister site, Aerospace Tech Review.
Now operational in Kent, UK, Clean Planet Technologies has opened a facility that can convert used plastics into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The first plant of its kind in the world, the process takes waste that cannot be recycled and turns it into fuel, producing 75% less carbon than regular jet fuel.
Clean Planet Group say that around 80% of the 5 million tonnes of plastic the UK produces each year go to waste. Its Sustainability Aviation Centre is supported by the Department of Transport’s UK SAF Clearing House, with fuel output to be certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
CEO Bertie Stephens commented:
This pilot opens up new ways to make sustainable aviation fuel, just as existing feedstocks such as energy crops are becoming harder to secure. It also positions the UK as a leader in turning waste plastics into SAF, supports UK and European SAF targets and is helping clear the path to commercial‑scale plants later this decade, and remove plastic waste from the environment.
The process begins by shredding the plastic waste into equal pieces, which pass through pyrolysis units to melt them into a synthetic crude oil. This product is then purified, distilled, and hydroprocessed to remove impurities and meet SAF specifications.
The UK government has currently set a SAF mandate of 10% for the aviation industry, which will rise to 22% in 2040. Dr. Katerina Garyfalou, Chief Operating Officer at Clean Planet Technologies, added:
The Sustainability Innovation Centre is set up to demonstrate our patented waste-plastics-to-SAF process at pilot scale, supporting fuel testing, validation and progression. The important thing is that our pilot facility will support the growth of others, helping the UK to meet its SAF mandate.
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