Future ANA Flights Could Be Powered by Rabbit Poop

All Nippon Airways wants to start using a green fuel that is made using recycled industrial plant emissions and enzymes found in rabbit droppings. The airline will test the fuel on a delivery flight in Fall 2019, with the hopes of using more of the sustainable fuel in the future.

Future flights aboard All Nippon Airways may not be powered by traditional jet fuel, but with a blend of sustainable aviation fuel powered in part by microbes. Airline Ratings reports the Japanese carrier entered a relationship with LanzaTech to use a fuel that is more environmentally friendly than current options.

The process LanzaTech uses to create sustainable fuel starts with industrial emissions. Because steel mills and other plants produce gasses that are heavy with carbons, they can be captured and recycled using anaerobic bacterium found in rabbit waste. Through refinement, the gasses can be converted into ethanol, which can be used in many fuels, including those used for commercial jets.

Under the agreement between ANA and LanzaTech, the Chicago-based fuel company will provide a blended sustainable fuel to the airline, comprised of 50% recycled fuel. The airline plans to test the new fuel on a delivery flight this fall. While the airline did not go into detail as to how many aircraft would be powered by environmentally sustainable fuel in the future, a successful test could mean more environmentally friendly fuel flights in the future.

“Adopting this advanced fuel will allow us to reduce CO2 emissions and meet the ambitious sustainable development goals that we have set for the airline,” Akihiko Miura, executive vice president for ANA, told Airline Ratings. “At ANA, we seek innovative solutions to the most pressing problems, and we will continue looking for ways to reduce our ecological impact in order to create a better world.”

ANA is not the only carrier looking to reduce their carbon footprint in the skies. Earlier in June 2019, United Airlines announced a plan to start operating “Eco-Friendly” flights. And in 2017, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced a plan to become more efficient by reducing the number of physical items on their flights.

[Featured Image: Flickr/Robobobobo]