Qantas plans to turn waste into biofuel

Australiaโ€™s flagship airline, Qantas, said it is studying the feasibility of building a waste-to-fuel facility in Sydney that could cost A$300 million (US294.96 million) and could create more than 1,000 jobs. It has formed a joint venture with U.S. fuel supplier Solena to investigate the construction of the world’s second commercial waste biofuel plant, using the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) method, a circa 1920s German technology. Solena estimates that the process offers lifecycle greenhouse gas savings of up to 95% compared with fossil fuel-derived kerosene, while annual carbon dioxide savings from the fuel it produces will be the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road. (January 7, 2011)