Virgin Australia takes to waste-to-crude oil invention

Virgin Australia announced that it will work with Licella, an Australian company that has invented technology that can turn waste into crude oil. Licella’s new technology, called Catalytic Hydrothermal Reaction (CAT-HTR), can turn discarded biomass like agricultural waste into oil in less than half an hour. Virgin Australia will explore the possibility of making alternative sustainable jet fuel with the CAT-HTR. “CAT-HTR offers a cleaner, faster and more cost-effective alternative to processing biomass that is the first of its kind in the world,” Virgin Australia Spokesman Sean Donohue said. (December 14, 2011)