Cosmo Energy Holdings, the third-largest oil refiner in Japan, is beginning to produce sustainable aviation fuel and working toward full-scale production.
It will supply the fuel to Japanese airline companies for a cleaner alternative to traditional air travel.
As Reuters reported, Cosmo planned production at its Osaka-based Sakai refinery earlier this year. It aimed to produce 30,000 kiloliters of sustainable aviation fuel per year by April.
The company supplies eco-friendly fuel to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. This commitment is significant because it is Japan’s first domestically produced green fuel for airlines.
Cosmo’s sustainable fuel is made from cooking oil and is the first large-scale production of its kind in the country. The refiner worked with two other companies to produce it but declined to provide details about the fuel’s price and volume.
The news from Japan is encouraging worldwide because of how sustainable aviation fuel can reduce the harmful air pollution associated with traditional plane travel.
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The aviation industry is responsible for about 2% of global energy pollution. This contribution impacts our planet’s overheating and leads to public health risks and extreme weather events.
In other parts of the world, sustainable aviation fuel companies like LanzaJet have been creating millions of gallons of alternative fuel to offset air travel pollution. That company’s fuel is made from low-carbon intensity ethanol, or grain alcohol, using corn.
Another company, OXCCU, has been creating jet fuel from air pollution using renewable energy and a combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
As a traveler, you can look into flying on planes powered by sustainable fuel and support airlines’ efforts to embrace fuels with lower carbon impacts. For example, Delta has been actively working to use sustainable fuels to reduce the environmental impact of its flights.
Until sustainable fuel flights become more readily available, you can change the way you travel by embracing train travel and vacationing close to home in places that don’t require a flight. When you do fly, consider eco-friendly travel destinations to help minimize your adventures’ overall environmental impact.
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