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Virgin Group has partnered with plastics recycling company Agilyx to develop lower carbon fuel facilities for aircraft operated by Virgin Atlantic.
They want to produce synthetic crude oil from plastic waste that will be refined into a lower carbon fuel, and to develop production facilities based on Agilyx’s conversion technology.
The first of these waste-to-fuel plants will be in the US but others are planned, including in the UK.
Agilyx chief executive Tim Stedman said his company's technology could break down plastic waste through a pyrolysis process to convert it to a synthetic crude oil which, once further refined, can be used as a lower carbon fuel.
Although the fuel will not be exclusive to Virgin, Virgin Atlantic and other Virgin companies are expected to be early adopters under its plan to achieve net zero by 2050.
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said: “In this decade, sustainable aviation fuel is the key solution for decarbonisation of the aviation sector, but we have a long way to go.
“Clearing the skies for tomorrow requires radical collaboration across innovators, producers, investors and airlines. We are delighted that Virgin Group and Agilyx are leading the charge to pilot new pathways in lower carbon fuels, and we look forward to working closely with them to achieve our 10% sustainable aviation fuel target by 2030.”
Stedman said: “We view plastic waste as a valuable above-ground resource that is not widely tapped into. Through our technology, we aim to unlock the value of plastic waste that otherwise may have been destined for landfill or incineration.”
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